3. Produce, implement and manage a portfolio of standards adapted to a system or business model

When an organization has to produce new standards or select existing ones, there are several possible approaches: either a top-down approach, starting from the general and working towards the specific, from the need to the solution, a capability-driven approach; or a bottom-up approach, starting from the specific and working towards the general, from the solution to the need, a technology-driven approach; or, finally, a complete approach, both top-down and bottom-up, a capability-driven and technology-driven approach.

This section presents these three approaches, and suggests rules for identifying the most appropriate approach in light of the organization's challenges, objectives and constraints.