{
  "author": "Joseph Walker",
  "confidence": "provisional",
  "date_created": "2026-09-05",
  "date_modified": "",
  "date_published": "2026-09-05",
  "dek": "A prior-art review of the software, standards and architectures that overlap the systems Masters has not yet built. Nearly every commodity layer already exists and should be reused. No reviewed system reproduces the institutional loop those layers would sit inside.",
  "finding_id": "MCG-F-0001",
  "in_ask_corpus": true,
  "kind": "finding",
  "limitations": [
    "This is a desk review of published documentation, source repositories and licence terms. Nothing here was installed, deployed, load-tested or migrated.",
    "Licence and feature-tier boundaries were read from current project materials and can move; Twenty in particular mixes an open core with enterprise-licensed functionality that needs exact review before selection.",
    "Fit judgements about Masters' hosting reflect the current shared PHP/MySQL environment, which is an economic constraint rather than an architectural one.",
    "Comparative claims are about demonstrated overlap in published materials, not about measured quality, performance or maintenance cost.",
    "The review deliberately excludes closed-source and hosted-only products, so it says nothing about whether a commercial system would fit better.",
    "This record reports a prior-art result as of its publication date. It is not the current execution plan, and the order in which Masters actually runs the work described here is maintained separately and has already changed once."
  ],
  "methods": [
    "Enumerate the systems still unbuilt in this repository and state the problem each one is meant to solve.",
    "Search for open-source software, open standards and published architectures with material functional overlap with each problem.",
    "Assess each candidate against a fixed criteria set: functional overlap, licence and modification rights, ownership and data control, inspectability, API surface, self-hostability, fit with current PHP/MySQL hosting and future server plans, maintenance burden, ability to preserve provenance and accountable human authority, long-horizon portability, and whether the remaining Masters-specific work is actually differentiated.",
    "Record, per system, what Masters should reuse and what remains genuinely Masters-specific.",
    "Convert the conclusions into bounded comparison spikes rather than a build plan."
  ],
  "negative_results": [
    "No reviewed system reproduces the full Masters operating loop from signal through relationship and provenance, qualification, problem model, governed evidence, verified expertise, engagement, artifact, outcome and institutional learning.",
    "No reviewed applicant-tracking system demonstrates Masters' admission standard — credential verification, capability evidence, domain reasoning assessment and continuing standing — with provenance and accountable human authority intact.",
    "No reviewed learning or HR platform demonstrates the full teach-observe-validate-reinforce-measure-develop-recognize-advance loop while distinguishing completion from observed performance from inference from managerial judgment.",
    "EspoCRM's workflow and BPM capability sits behind a paid Advanced Pack, which disqualifies it as a foundation given a fully open-source workflow requirement.",
    "Frappe HR declares ERPNext as a required app, so adopting HR primitives is a larger commitment than adopting Frappe Framework with a custom Masters app."
  ],
  "reconsider_if": [
    "A bounded spike shows the canonical contract cannot be represented in a candidate runtime without distorting the Masters model.",
    "An export and reimport round trip out of a candidate platform loses semantics, provenance or record history.",
    "The operational weight of a candidate — Redis, workers, Node build steps, message brokers, query services — exceeds what Masters can responsibly maintain, changing a functional win into a continuity risk.",
    "A licence or feature tier moves capability Masters depends on behind a commercial boundary.",
    "A system reviewed here is abandoned, or its governance changes such that self-hosting and modification rights become uncertain.",
    "A later review demonstrates an end-to-end substitute for the Masters operating loop, which would make the institution-specific layer the thing that must justify itself."
  ],
  "related_claims": [],
  "related_findings": [],
  "related_sources": [],
  "research_question": "What should Masters reuse, integrate, learn from, or avoid rebuilding before writing custom software for the systems still open in this repository?",
  "result": "Substantial mature prior art exists for nearly every commodity layer in the remaining roadmap, and three candidates change the likely implementation path outright. No reviewed system demonstrated an end-to-end substitute for the Masters operating loop. The review's own conclusion was that the next move should be bounded spikes against the strongest candidates rather than custom construction.",
  "schema_version": 1,
  "scope": "Open-source software, open standards and reusable architectures with material functional overlap with the unbuilt Masters systems. This was a desk review of published source, documentation and licences — not a benchmark, not a deployment, and not a novelty search.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "MIT-licensed metadata-driven framework: typed DocTypes, links, permissions, workflow states and automatically exposed REST APIs over MariaDB.",
      "title": "Frappe Framework",
      "url": "https://github.com/frappe/frappe"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The typed-entity model behind Frappe: fields, links, forms, list views and permissions.",
      "title": "Frappe DocTypes",
      "url": "https://docs.frappe.io/framework/user/en/basics/doctypes"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Workflow states, transitions, conditions and role-based approval actions.",
      "title": "ERPNext workflows",
      "url": "https://docs.frappe.io/erpnext/workflows"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "AGPL-3.0 self-hostable CRM over the Frappe framework: leads, deals, activities, tasks, custom fields and views.",
      "title": "Frappe CRM",
      "url": "https://github.com/frappe/crm"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "GPL-3.0 recruitment, interviews, skill maps, appraisal and employee lifecycle. Declares ERPNext as a required app.",
      "title": "Frappe HR",
      "url": "https://github.com/frappe/hrms"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Interview rounds and scheduling in the recruitment lifecycle.",
      "title": "Frappe HR — interviews",
      "url": "https://docs.frappe.io/hr/interview"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Feedback scored against the skills defined for an interview round.",
      "title": "Frappe HR — interview feedback",
      "url": "https://docs.frappe.io/hr/interview-feedback"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Proficiency and training tracking that can feed appraisal.",
      "title": "Frappe HR — employee skill map",
      "url": "https://docs.frappe.io/hr/employee-skill-map"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 BPMN, CMMN and DMN engine: human-task orchestration, case management, decision rules and REST APIs.",
      "title": "Flowable open-source documentation",
      "url": "https://www.flowable.com/open-source/docs/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Open-source rules, DMN and workflow ecosystem; prior art for separating decision logic from application code.",
      "title": "Apache KIE",
      "url": "https://github.com/apache/incubator-kie"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "AGPLv3 CRM on a conventional LAMP stack — the closest match to Masters' current PHP/MySQL hosting.",
      "title": "SuiteCRM",
      "url": "https://github.com/SuiteCRM/SuiteCRM"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Built-in open-source workflows that can run on any module.",
      "title": "SuiteCRM workflow administration",
      "url": "https://docs.suitecrm.com/admin/administration-panel/workflow/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Record, relationship, metadata and custom-route support in the JSON/REST API.",
      "title": "SuiteCRM V8 API endpoints",
      "url": "https://docs.suitecrm.com/developer/integration-api/v8/endpoints/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Supported PHP and MySQL/MariaDB versions for the current release line.",
      "title": "SuiteCRM 8.x compatibility matrix",
      "url": "https://docs.suitecrm.com/8.x/admin/compatibility-matrix/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 low-code structured-data, CRM and workflow platform on a Go/Vue stack.",
      "title": "Corteza",
      "url": "https://github.com/cortezaproject/corteza"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Per-record revision history — the property a canonical contract needs a runtime to preserve.",
      "title": "Corteza record revisions",
      "url": "https://docs.cortezaproject.org/corteza-docs/2024.9/integrator-guide/compose-configuration/record-revisions.html"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Role and permission model, assessed for authority fidelity.",
      "title": "Corteza security model",
      "url": "https://docs.cortezaproject.org/corteza-docs/2024.9/integrator-guide/security-model/index.html"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Deployment, backup and upgrade burden for the Corteza stack.",
      "title": "Corteza DevOps guide",
      "url": "https://docs.cortezaproject.org/corteza-docs/2024.9/devops-guide/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "GPL-3+ PHP/MySQL ERP-CRM with the lightest hosting requirements of the candidates reviewed.",
      "title": "Dolibarr",
      "url": "https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Modern CRM with custom objects and REST/GraphQL; an AGPL-3.0 core alongside enterprise-licensed functionality.",
      "title": "Twenty",
      "url": "https://github.com/twentyhq/twenty"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Workflow and BPM capability sits in the paid Advanced Pack, not the open-source core.",
      "title": "EspoCRM workflows",
      "url": "https://www.espocrm.com/features/workflows/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Long-standing open-source applicant-tracking and recruitment CRM.",
      "title": "OpenCATS",
      "url": "https://github.com/opencats/OpenCATS"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "GPL PHP/MySQL HRMS with recruitment and performance functions.",
      "title": "OrangeHRM",
      "url": "https://github.com/orangehrm/orangehrm"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Mature open-source LMS.",
      "title": "Moodle",
      "url": "https://moodle.org/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Competency frameworks and learning plans.",
      "title": "Moodle documentation",
      "url": "https://docs.moodle.org/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Open interoperability specification for recording learning and work experience across systems.",
      "title": "xAPI specification",
      "url": "https://github.com/adlnet/xAPI-Spec"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The actor-verb-object statement model, designed for formal and informal experience across technologies.",
      "title": "xAPI overview",
      "url": "https://xapi.com/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "GPL-3.0 open-source Learning Record Store implementing xAPI.",
      "title": "Learning Locker",
      "url": "https://github.com/LearningLocker/learninglocker"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 competency framework and assertion infrastructure, actively maintained.",
      "title": "CaSS — Competency and Skills System",
      "url": "https://github.com/cassproject/CASS"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "How CaSS interoperates with CASE, xAPI and badge ecosystems.",
      "title": "CaSS interoperability guide",
      "url": "https://docs.cassproject.org/v1.3/guide/interoperability/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Open standard for exchanging competency and academic standards frameworks.",
      "title": "1EdTech CASE",
      "url": "https://www.1edtech.org/standards/case"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The CASE 1.1 specification itself.",
      "title": "1EdTech CASE specification",
      "url": "https://standards.1edtech.org/case/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Open standard for verifiable recognition of achievement.",
      "title": "1EdTech Open Badges",
      "url": "https://www.1edtech.org/standards/open-badges"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "MIT-licensed open-source expert system: adaptive guided interviews, conditional flow, document assembly and sessions.",
      "title": "docassemble",
      "url": "https://docassemble.org/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The implementation, licence and extension model.",
      "title": "docassemble source",
      "url": "https://github.com/jhpyle/docassemble"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The recommended production bundle: NGINX, uWSGI, PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, Celery, cron and WebSockets.",
      "title": "docassemble production Docker deployment",
      "url": "https://docassemble.org/docs/docker.html"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "A component-level form library — the lightweight middle path between a bespoke intake and docassemble.",
      "title": "SurveyJS Form Library documentation",
      "url": "https://surveyjs.io/form-library/documentation/overview"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Branching and visibility rules, the Guide's core intake requirement.",
      "title": "SurveyJS conditional logic",
      "url": "https://surveyjs.io/form-library/documentation/design-survey/conditional-logic"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The Form Library's licence is not the licence of the whole SurveyJS suite; the distinction matters before adoption.",
      "title": "SurveyJS licensing",
      "url": "https://surveyjs.io/licensing"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "AGPLv3 self-hostable survey platform with enterprise-licensed modules alongside the core.",
      "title": "Formbricks",
      "url": "https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 search relevance evaluation: query cases, judgments and repeatable metrics against custom backends.",
      "title": "Quepid",
      "url": "https://github.com/o19s/quepid"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Entity, Activity and Agent with derivation, generation and attribution relationships.",
      "title": "W3C PROV-O: The PROV Ontology",
      "url": "https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Subject, claim, qualifier, reference and rank — the statement semantics closest to the Masters evidence distinctions.",
      "title": "Wikibase data model",
      "url": "https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/DataModel"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The knowledge-graph platform itself.",
      "title": "Wikibase",
      "url": "https://www.wikiba.se/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Deployment of Wikibase with its query service; the source of the operational-weight assessment.",
      "title": "Wikibase Suite",
      "url": "https://github.com/wmde/wikibase-suite"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "JSON-LD packaging for portable research objects containing people, organizations, software, workflows, files and provenance.",
      "title": "RO-Crate specification 1.3",
      "url": "https://www.researchobject.org/ro-crate/specification.html"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 schema authoring in YAML with generation into multiple representations.",
      "title": "LinkML",
      "url": "https://github.com/linkml/linkml"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The generated artifacts — and their differing feature-completeness — that any adoption decision has to test rather than assume.",
      "title": "LinkML generators",
      "url": "https://linkml.io/linkml/generators/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Catalog-as-code: Git-managed YAML entity descriptors, stable references, ownership, typed relations and lifecycle.",
      "title": "Backstage Software Catalog",
      "url": "https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Apache-2.0 open metadata platform: entities, aspects, relationships, ownership, lineage and GraphQL/OpenAPI.",
      "title": "DataHub",
      "url": "https://datahubproject.io/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "GPL-2+ structured properties and queries embedded in wiki pages.",
      "title": "Semantic MediaWiki",
      "url": "https://github.com/SemanticMediaWiki/SemanticMediaWiki"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "One governed source rendering to HTML, PDF, Word, OpenDocument, EPUB and presentations.",
      "title": "Quarto formats reference",
      "url": "https://quarto.org/docs/reference/formats/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Open-source Git-backed editorial UI for static sites.",
      "title": "Decap CMS",
      "url": "https://decapcms.org/docs/intro/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "The GitHub backend and the OAuth proxy it requires.",
      "title": "Decap CMS GitHub backend",
      "url": "https://decapcms.org/docs/github-backend/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "MIT Git-native editor that edits files directly in GitHub, with no separate content database.",
      "title": "Pages CMS",
      "url": "https://pagescms.org/docs/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "MIT file-native content editor with a typed content model, most natural on Astro, Next or Remix.",
      "title": "Keystatic",
      "url": "https://keystatic.com/"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "MIT wrapper around browser speech recognition; useful lifecycle and restart patterns, on the same browser substrate.",
      "title": "annyang",
      "url": "https://github.com/TalAter/annyang"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Local speech-to-text with WebAssembly browser examples; far heavier than the current dictation enhancement.",
      "title": "whisper.cpp",
      "url": "https://github.com/ggml-org/whisper.cpp"
    },
    {
      "accessed": "2026-09-05",
      "note": "Reference for the publication metadata a public record should expose.",
      "title": "Google: Article structured data",
      "url": "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/article"
    }
  ],
  "status": "published",
  "superseded_by": "",
  "supersedes": [],
  "systems_evaluated": [
    "Frappe Framework, Frappe CRM and Frappe HR",
    "SuiteCRM, Dolibarr, Corteza, Twenty and EspoCRM",
    "Flowable and Apache KIE / Drools",
    "OpenCATS and OrangeHRM",
    "Moodle, xAPI, Learning Locker, CaSS, CASE and Open Badges",
    "docassemble, SurveyJS Form Library and Formbricks",
    "Quepid",
    "W3C PROV, the Wikibase data model, RO-Crate and LinkML",
    "Quarto",
    "Wikibase, Backstage Software Catalog, DataHub and Semantic MediaWiki",
    "Decap CMS, Pages CMS and Keystatic",
    "annyang and whisper.cpp"
  ],
  "title": "Mature open-source prior art covers most of the remaining Masters roadmap — and none of its operating loop",
  "topics": [
    "prior art",
    "build versus reuse",
    "institutional architecture",
    "provenance",
    "open source"
  ],
  "truth_boundary": "This is a provisional Finding. The result held under the stated method and scope, and has not yet been repeated or tested against a wider sample.",
  "url": "https://mastersconsultinggroup.org/research/findings/open-source-prior-art-for-remaining-masters-systems/",
  "withdrawn_reason": ""
}