ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2

• Abstract:

  ISO/IEC 29110 is applicable to Very Small Entities (VSEs). VSEs are enterprises, organizations, departments or projects having up to 25 people. The lifecycle processes described in the set of International Standards (IS) and Technical Reports (TR) are not intended to preclude or discourage their use by organizations bigger than VSEs. ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2:2014 provides the management and engineering guide to the Basic Profile described in ISO/IEC 29110-4-6 through Project Management and System Definition and realization processes. It is a standalone guide; it is not intended for a VSE to use the standardized profile to implement ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2:2014. ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2:2014 applies for non-critical systems development projects. The system development should fulfil the project requirements and the system description. ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2:2014, a VSE can obtain benefits in the following aspects: An agreed set of project requirements (technical part of contract) and expected products are agreed by the Acquirer. A disciplined management process, that provides project visibility and corrective actions of project problems and deviations, is performed. A systematic System Definition and Realization process, that satisfies Acquirer needs and ensures quality products, is followed. VSEs developing software that is part of a larger system, and for stand-alone software products and services, are encouraged to use the management and engineering guide of the Basic Profile (ISO/IEC 29110 5 1-2).

• Status: Not Published
• ICS: 35.080 - Software
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 - Software and systems engineering
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 - Software and systems engineering
• Current Stage: 6000 - International Standard under publication
• Start Date: 04-Sep-2026
• Completion Date: 12-Sep-2026

• Revises: ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-6-2:2014 - Systems and software engineering — Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities (VSEs) — Part 5-6-2: Systems engineering — Management and engineering guide: Generic profile group: Basic profile
• Effective Date: 14-Jan-2023

Overview

ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2, titled "Systems and software engineering - Life cycle profiles for very small entities (VSEs) - Part 5-6-2: System engineering guidelines for the generic Basic profile", is an internationally recognized standard developed by ISO and IEC. It provides tailored systems engineering management and engineering guidelines specifically for very small entities (VSEs) – organizations, departments, or projects with up to 25 people. While focused on VSEs, the guidance is also beneficial for larger organizations seeking streamlined processes.

This standard supports VSEs in developing non-safety critical systems or system components, including those involving both hardware and software. It delivers practical process guidance for project management and systems definition and realization activities, summarizing the basics of system project execution in an accessible profile suitable for small teams.

Key Topics

• Systems and Project Management: ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2 emphasizes establishing clear project objectives, organizing teams, and ensuring that management tasks are planned and tracked, leading to better project visibility and control over deviations.
• System Definition and Realization: The standard outlines a systematic approach to defining, analyzing, designing, implementing, integrating, verifying, and validating systems in line with agreed requirements, ensuring that customer (acquirer) needs are met.
• Tailored for VSEs: Recognizing limited resources typical of small entities, the standard streamlines processes without unnecessary complexity, making them practical and achievable for organizations lacking dedicated systems engineering expertise.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: It prioritizes agreement with stakeholders on requirements and deliverables, ensuring mutual understanding and customer satisfaction.
• Process Guidance, Not Requirements: The standard provides recommendations and describes process outcomes rather than prescriptive requirements, allowing VSEs flexibility in implementation.
• Roles and Deliverables: Tools for clarifying team roles and expected work products are included to aid communication and reduce ambiguity.
• Alignment with International Practices: Processes and work products are aligned with international systems engineering standards, such as ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, to facilitate compatibility and recognition.

Applications

ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2 is valuable for:

• Product and System Development: VSEs engaged in system or product development across any field (IT, embedded systems, industrial automation, etc.) can adopt its guidance for streamlined project management and engineering processes.
• Service Providers: Organizations delivering services comprising integrated systems gain practical methodologies to manage scope, quality, schedule, and cost efficiently.
• Internal Process Improvement: VSEs seeking ISO-compliance or aiming for external recognition can use this profile as a foundation for process improvement and basic conformance assessments.
• Project Documentation and Communication: Guidance on documentation aids clear communication within teams and with clients, mitigating misunderstandings.
• Capacity Building: The standard serves as an entry-point for VSEs with little or no previous experience with formal systems engineering standards such as ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.

Related Standards

• ISO/IEC 29110 Series: This family of standards is dedicated to the unique needs of VSEs in systems and software engineering, including management, engineering, assessment, and service delivery guidelines.
  • ISO/IEC 29110-4-6: Describes the generic Basic Profile upon which Part 5-6-2 provides guidance.
  • ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2: Offers software engineering management and engineering guidelines for the Basic Profile.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288: Specifies system life cycle processes and forms the foundational reference for ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207: Provides software life cycle processes, referenced for VSEs also developing standalone or embedded software.
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289: Covers system and software information products (documentation) relevant to work products described in this standard.

By adopting ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2, very small entities can gain recognition as reliable suppliers of quality systems, optimize their engineering and management practices, and align with international best practices without overburdening their limited resources.

FINAL DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/IEC
FDIS
29110-5-6-2
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7
Systems and software
Secretariat: BIS
engineering — Life cycle profiles for
Voting begins on:
very small entities (VSEs) —
2026-07-09
Part 5-6-2:
Voting terminates on:
2026-09-03
System engineering guidelines for
the generic Basic profile
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Profils de cycle de vie
pour très petits organismes (TPO) —
Partie 5-6-2: Lignes directrices d'ingénierie des systèmes du profil
basique générique
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110­5­6­2:2026(en) © ISO/IEC 2026

FINAL DRAFT
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
International
Standard
ISO/IEC
FDIS
29110-5-6-2
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7
Systems and software
Secretariat: BIS
engineering — Life cycle profiles for
Voting begins on:
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 5-6-2:
Voting terminates on:
System engineering guidelines for
the generic Basic profile
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Profils de cycle de vie
pour très petits organismes (TPO) —
Partie 5-6-2: Lignes directrices d'ingénierie des systèmes du profil
basique générique
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT,
WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION OF ANY
RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE
AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING DOCUMENTATION.
© ISO/IEC 2026
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BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO­
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES, DRAFT
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© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions .1
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms . 4
4.1 General .4
4.2 Abbreviated terms .4
4.3 Naming, diagramming and definition conventions .5
5 Systems thinking . 6
6 Overview . 6
7 Project management (PM) process . 8
7.1 PM process purpose .8
7.2 PM process outcomes .8
7.3 PM roles involved .9
7.4 PM activities and tasks.9
7.4.1 Overview of the PM process .9
7.4.2 PM activities .9
7.5 PM incorporation to project repository .18
8  System definition and realization (SR) process . 19
8.1 SR process purpose .19
8.2 SR process outcomes .19
8.3 SR roles involved .19
8.4 SR diagram . 20
8.4.1 Overview the SR process . . 20
8.4.2 SR activities . 20
8.5 SR incorporation to the project repository . 33
9 Acquisition management (AM) process .34
9.1 AM process purpose . 34
9.2 AM process outcome . 34
9.3 AM roles involved . 34
9.4 AM activities and tasks . 34
9.4.1 Overview of the AM process . 34
9.4.2 AM activities . 35
9.5 AM incorporation to the project repository .37
10 Description of roles .37
11 Description of work products .38
11.1 States of work products . 38
11.2 Detailed description of work products . 39
12 System tools .57
12.1 System tools overview .57
12.2 Project management process tools.57
12.3 System definition and realization process . 58
12.4 System tools’ updates and adaptability . 58
Annex A (Informative) Systems engineering deployment packages .59
Annex B (informative) Mapping between the outcomes of this document and the ISO/IEC/IEEE
15288 . 61

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 7, Software and systems engineering.
This first edition replaces ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-6-2:2014, which had been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— many task statements have been reworded to facilitate their understanding;
— conditional tasks have been added to develop optional work products (e.g. operation guide) that have
been requested by a customer; this notation replaces the ‘Optional’ notation [e.g. *(optional)] used in the
TR that caused ambiguities.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 29110 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Introduction
0.1  Introduction to theISO/IEC29110series
For the ISO/IEC 29110 series, a very small entity (VSE) is an enterprise, an organization (e.g. government
agency, non-profit organization), a department or a project having up to 25 people. Many VSEs either develop
systems or maintain systems, or both, along with the software components used in those systems, either as
independent products or incorporated into the larger system. Due to this a recognition of VSEs as suppliers
of high-quality products is required.
VSEs around the world are creating valuable products and services. According to the World Bank, small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) account for about 90 % of enterprises worldwide. According to the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), SMEs represent 99 % of all businesses and generate
about 60 % of employment. Almost one person out of three is employed in a micro firm with less than 10
employees. The European Union reports that micro firms, with fewer than 10 persons, account for 93,5 % of
all enterprises and small firms, with 10 to 49 employees, account for 5,5 % of all enterprises. The challenge
facing OECD governments is to provide a business environment that supports the competitiveness of this
large heterogeneous business population and that promotes a vibrant entrepreneurial culture.
From studies and surveys conducted, the majority of international standards do not address the needs of
VSEs. Implementation of and conformity with these standards is difficult, if not impossible.
Consequently, VSEs have no, or very limited, ways to be recognized as entities that produce quality systems/
system elements including software in their domain. Therefore, VSEs are excluded from some economic
activities.
It has been found that VSEs find it difficult to relate international standards to their business needs and to
justify the effort required to apply standards to their business practices. Most VSEs can neither afford the
resources, in terms of number of employees, expertise, budget and time, nor do they see a net benefit in
establishing over-complex systems or software life cycle processes. To address some of these difficulties,
a set of guidelines has been developed based on a set of VSE characteristics. The guidelines are based on
subsets of appropriate standards processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes, referred to as profiles. The
purpose of a profile is to define a subset of international standards relevant to the VSEs' context, for example,
processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 for software; processes, activities,
tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 for systems; and information products (documentation) of
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 for software and systems.
VSEs can achieve recognition through implementing a profile and by being audited against ISO/IEC 29110
specifications.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series can be applied at any phase of system or software development within a life cycle.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used by VSEs that do not have experience or expertise in adapting
or tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to the needs of a specific project. VSEs that have
expertise in adapting or tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 are encouraged to use those
standards instead of the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used with any life cycle such as waterfall, iterative, incremental,
evolutionary or agile.
The life cycle processes described in the ISO/IEC 29110 series are not intended to preclude or discourage
their use by organizations bigger than VSEs.
Systems, in the context of the ISO/IEC 29110 series, are typically composed of hardware and software
components.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series, targeted by audience, has been developed to improve the process performance,
and the quality of either system or service, or both. Figure 1 describes the ISO/IEC 29110 series and positions
the parts within the framework of reference.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Figure 1 — The ISO/IEC 29110 series
ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 introduces processes, life cycle and standardization concepts, the taxonomy (catalogue) of
ISO/IEC 29110 profiles and the ISO/IEC 29110 series. ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 also introduces the characteristics
and needs of a VSE, and clarifies the rationale for specific profiles, documents, standards and guidelines.
ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 defines the terms common to the ISO/IEC 29110 series. ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 and
ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 are targeted at VSEs and their customers, assessors, standards producers, tool vendors
and methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-2 introduces the concepts for systems and software engineering profiles for VSEs. It
establishes the logic behind the definition and application of profiles. For standardized profiles, it specifies
the elements common to all profiles (structure, requirements, conformity, and assessment). For domain-
specific profiles (profiles that are not standardized and developed outside of the ISO process), it provides
general guidance adapted from the definition of standardized profiles. ISO/IEC 29110-2 is targeted at profile
producers, tool vendors and methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 defines certification schemes, assessment guidelines and compliance requirements for
process capability assessment, conformity assessments, and self-assessments for process improvements.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 also contains information that can be useful to developers of certification and assessment
methods and developers of certification and assessment tools. ISO/IEC 29110-3 is addressed to people who
have direct involvement with the assessment process, e.g., the auditor, certification and accreditation bodies
and the sponsor of the audit, who need guidance on ensuring that the requirements for performing an audit
have been met. ISO/IEC 29110-3 is targeted at VSEs and their customers, assessors, accreditation bodies.
ISO/IEC 29110-4 provides the specifications for all generic profiles of the generic profile group that are based
on subsets of appropriate standards elements. ISO/IEC 29110-4 is targeted at VSEs, customers, standards
producers, tool vendors and methodology vendors.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
ISO/IEC 29110-5 provides a management, engineering and service delivery guidelines for profiles of the
Generic profile group. ISO/IEC 29110-5 is targeted at VSEs and their customers.
ISO/IEC 29110-6 provides the specifications for specific profiles that are based on subsets of appropriate
standards elements. ISO/IEC 29110-6 is targeted at VSEs, customers, standards producers, tool vendors and
methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-7 provides a guideline for each profile of the specific profile group. ISO/IEC 29110-7 is
targeted at VSEs and their customers.
If a new profile is needed, ISO/IEC 29110-4 or ISO/IEC 29110-6 and or ISO/IEC 29110-7, ISO/IEC 29110-5 can
be developed with minimal impact to existing documents.
0.2  Introduction to this document
This document is the second systems profile of a four-profile systems engineering roadmap (i.e. Entry, Basic,
Intermediate and Advanced).
The Basic profile describes the development of a system by a VSE developing a single product by a single
work team.
Since a VSE may be an enterprise, a project or a department of an organization, a customer of a VSE can be
internal or external to the organization.
The outcomes and tasks are guidance, not requirements, for purposes of process assessment.
This document provides the management and engineering guidelines to the Basic profile through project
management and system definition and realization processes.
This document applies for non-critical systems development projects.
To use this document, a VSE should fulfil the following conditions:
— project needs and expectations are documented;
— feasibility of the project is performed before its start;
— project team, including project manager and system engineer, is assigned and trained;
— goods, services and infrastructure to start the project are available.
This document is intended to be used with any processes, techniques and methods that enhance the VSE's
stakeholder’s satisfaction and productivity. Using this document, a VSE can obtain the following benefits:
— an agreed set of project requirements (technical part of the contract) and expected products are agreed
by the acquirer;
— a disciplined management process that provides project visibility and corrective actions of project
problems and deviations is performed;
— a systematic system definition and realization process, that satisfies acquirer needs and enables quality
products, is followed.
VSEs developing software that is part of a system are encouraged to use the software Basic management
and engineering guidelines (ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2).
Annex A provides information about systems engineering deployment packages. Annex B provides a
mapping between the outcomes of this document and the ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
Requirements for implementations of this document can be found in ISO/IEC 29110-4-1.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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FINAL DRAFT International Standard ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Systems and software engineering — Life cycle profiles for
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 5-6-2:
System engineering guidelines for the generic Basic profile
1 Scope
This document describes processes targeted at VSEs that develop a single product by a single work team.
This document provides management and engineering guidelines for the systems engineering Basic profile
of the generic profile group.
This document is applicable to VSEs that develop non-safety critical systems and have little or no experience
with systems engineering (SE) process planning and implementation using the ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
This document is also applicable to VSEs which are familiar with the management and engineering guidelines
of the systems engineering Entry profile (ISO/IEC 29110 5-6-1) for their system development projects.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3  Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1  Terms and definitions
3.1.1
acquirer
stakeholder that acquires or procures a system (3.1.14), product or service from a supplier
Note 1 to entry: Other terms commonly used for an acquirer are buyer, customer, owner, or purchaser, or internal/
organizational sponsor.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.1]
3.1.2
Advanced profile
profile (3.1.11) targeted at VSEs which want to sustain and grow as a competitive system (3.1.14) and/or
software development organization
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.3]

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
3.1.3
agreement
mutual acknowledgement of terms and conditions under which a working relationship is conducted
EXAMPLE Contract, memorandum of agreement.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.4]
3.1.4
Basic profile
profile (3.1.11) targeted at VSEs developing a single product by a single work team
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.18]
3.1.5
conditional process
process that can be mandatory under some specified conditions, can be optional under other specified
conditions, and can be out of scope or not applicable under other specified conditions
Note 1 to entry: These are to be observed if the specified conditions apply.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-4:2025, 3.6]
3.1.6
conditional task
task that can be mandatory under some specified condition(s), can be optional under other specified
conditions, and can be out of scope or not applicable under other specified conditions
Note 1 to entry: These are to be observed if the specified condition(s) apply.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2: 2024, 3.28]
3.1.7
critical system
product that is essential to the operation of a business or organization, whose sustained failure would result
in significant business impacts, e.g. loss of revenue or loss of reputation
3.1.8
Entry profile
profile (3.1.11) targeted at start-up VSEs (i.e. VSEs who started their operation fewer than three years ago)
and/or at VSEs working on a single small project (e.g. project size of less than 6 person-months)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.40]
3.1.9
Intermediate profile
profile (3.1.11) targeted at VSEs involved in the development of more than one project in parallel with more
than one work team
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.48]
3.1.10
operator
individual or organization that performs the operations of a system
Note 1 to entry: The role of operator and the role of user (3.1.15) can be vested, simultaneously or sequentially, in the
same individual or organization.
Note 2 to entry: An individual operator combined with knowledge, skills and procedures can be considered as an
element of the system.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.24, modified — Note 3 to entry has been removed.]

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
3.1.11
profile
subset of appropriate standards’ processes and their outcomes, activities and tasks combined to accomplish
a particular function
Note 1 to entry: The base standards used to develop profiles for VSEs are ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288
and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.70]
3.1.12
safety-critical system
system whose failure or malfunction can result in one (or more) of the following outcomes:
— death or serious injury to people
— loss or severe damage to equipment or property
— environmental harm
EXAMPLE Examples of safety-critical systems are critical infra-structures, medical equipment, transportation,
and nuclear power plants. Safety-critical systems are also sometimes called life-critical systems.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 23643:2020, 3.15]
3.1.13
small and medium enterprise
SME
enterprises with fewer than 250 persons employed
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.92, modified]
3.1.14
system
arrangement of parts or elements that together exhibit a stated behaviour or meaning that the individual
constituents do not
Note 1 to entry: A system is sometimes considered as a product or as the services it provides.
Note 2 to entry: In practice, the interpretation of its meaning is frequently clarified by the use of an associative noun,
e.g. aircraft system. Alternatively, the word “system” is substituted simply by a context-dependent synonym (e.g.
aircraft), though this potentially obscures a system principles perspective.
Note 3 to entry: A complete system includes all of the associated equipment, facilities, material, computer programs,
firmware, technical documentation, services, and personnel required for operations and support to the degree
necessary for self-sufficient use in its intended environment.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.46]
3.1.15
user
individual or group that ineteracts with a system (3.1.14) or benefits from a system during its utilization
Note 1 to entry: The role of user and the role of operator (3.1.10) are sometimes vested, simultaneously or sequentially,
in the same individual or organization.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.53]

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
3.1.16
work breakdown structure
WBS
deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish
the project objectives and create the required deliverables
Note 1 to entry: It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2018, 3.1.42, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.17
work product
artefact produced by a process
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 15940:2013, 2.5, modified — Note 1 to entry has been removed.]
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms
4.1 General
Conventions for naming, diagramming, describing and defining profiles are defined in ISO/IEC 29110-2-1.
4.2 Abbreviated terms
ACQ acquirer
BM business manager
DES designer
DEV developer
HW hardware
PJM project manager
PM project management
SW software
SBS system breakdown structure
SDD system design document
SE systems engineering
SEMP systems engineering management plan
SMART specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and traceable
SR system definition and realization
STK stakeholder
SUP supplier
SYS systems engineer
V&V verification, validation
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
VSE very small entity
VVE V&V engineer
WT work team
4.3  Naming, diagramming and definition conventions
The following process structure description and notation are used to describe the processes.
Process name – process identifier, followed by its abbreviation in parentheses “( )”.
Process purpose – high-level objective of performing the process and the likely outcomes of effective
implementation of the process.
Process outcomes – observable result of the successful achievement of the process purpose. Outcomes are
identified by the abbreviation of the process name, followed by the letter “O” and a consecutive number, for
example PM.O1, SI.O2, etc.
Input work products – work products which can be used to perform the process and its corresponding
source, which can be another process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer. Identified by
the abbreviation of the process name.
Output work products – work products generated by the process and its corresponding destination, which
can be another process or an external entity to the project, such as customer. Identified by the abbreviation
of the process name.
Internal work products – work products generated (i.e. output work product) and consumed (i.e. input work
product) by the process. An internal work product is not reviewed or approved by the customer.
All work products’ names initiate with capital letters. Some work products have one or more statuses
attached to the work product name surrounded by square brackets “[ ]” and separated by ”,”. The work
product state may change during the process execution. See Clause 11 for the alphabetical list of the work
products, its descriptions, possible states and the source of the work product. The source can be another
process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer.
Roles involved – names and abbreviation of the functions to be performed by project team members.
Several roles may be played by a single person, and one role may be assumed by several persons. Roles are
assigned to project participants based on the characteristics of the project. The role list is identified by the
abbreviation of the process name and showed as two column tables. See Clause 8 for the alphabetical list of
the roles, its abbreviations and recommended competencies description.
Diagram – graphical representation of the processes. The large round-edged rectangles indicate process
or activities, and the smaller square-edged rectangles indicate the work products. The directional or
bidirectional thick arrows indicate the major flow of information between processes or activities. The
directional or bidirectional thin arrows indicate the input or output work products. The notation used in the
diagrams does not imply the use of any specific process life cycle.
Activity – a set of cohesive tasks of a process. The task statements in this document are not imperative. A
process activity is the first level of process workflow decomposition, and the second one is a task. Activities
are identified by process name abbreviation followed by consecutive number and the activity name.
Activity description – each activity description is identified by the activity name and the list of related
process outcomes surrounded by parentheses “( )”. For example, activity PM.01 project planning (PM.O1,
PM.O5, PM.O6, PM.O7) means that the activity PM.01 project planning contributes to the achievement of the
listed outcomes: PM.O1, PM.O5, PM.O6 and PM.O7.
Task description – each task description begins with an active verb (e.g. assign, test) and is followed by an
object (e.g. review the project plan). To facilitate their implementation, a few tasks are broken down into
elementary tasks. The task description doesn’t impose any technique or method to perform it. The selection
of the techniques or methods is left to the VSE or project team.

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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Task description tables contain four columns corresponding to:
— Role - the abbreviation of role(s) involved in the task execution.
— Task - description of the task to be performed. Each task is identified by activity ID and consecutive
number, for example PM.01.01, PM.01.02. A few numbered items are added to provide additional
information intended to assist the understanding or use of tasks.
— Input work products – work products needed to execute a task.
— Output work products – work products created or modified by the execution of a task.
NOTE 1 A conditional task is executed if its associated work product (e.g. software user documentation) is required
by the customer and listed in the delivery instructions. A conditional task statement is preceded with this text: " x)
Conditional task". A work product associated to a conditional task is identified as an ‘optional’ work product.
Incorporation to project repository – list of work products to be saved in the project repository; the version
control strategy is applied to some of them. A few work products (e.g. requirements) are baselined, a change
to a baselined work product can be done through an approved change request.
NOTE 2 Tables used in process description are for presentation purposes only.
NOTE 3 The term ‘Basic’ is using a capital ‘B’ to indicate an ISO/IEC 29110 profile (e.g. the Basic profile) while the
term ‘basic’ is used when referring to the most important part of something (e.g. basic principles).
NOTE 4 A work product is baselined when it has been approved and uploaded in the repository.
5 Systems thinking
The traditional approach to solve a problem is called analysis. This approach focuses on breaking a problem
into small parts and, once each part is resolved, the whole problem is solved. This approach, however, has
limitations because the insight of the whole system can be lost. This limitation brings forth the systems
thinking concept, which analyses and observes the system as a whole and identifies the interrelationships
among its constituent parts as well as its relationship with the system environment (e.g. enabling systems).
Systems thinking allows for a better understanding of the systems as a whole. Systems thinking is used
to broaden the perspective to larger environments by considering the entire life cycle of the system and
the different possible applications of the system. Systems can be immersed in different environments and
multiple relationships can emerge. Every project has a context in which the system is embedded. Thus,
a system is not only composed of software and hardware, but is always part of a larger operation, often
involving people and other systems. The designer should clearly understand these relationships before
defining a solution.
The “system” perspective enables the design of an optimized system to consider all needs and constraints.
This perspective also helps to invent new solutions to meet existing needs or in some cases create new needs.
For this document, systems thinking should be adopted when understanding the system to be designed so
that, when identifying the requirements, all stakeholders’ needs are considered, as well as the context in
which the system should operate. Following this approach, when implementing the requirements in work
products, it helps ensure effective integration of the parts.
6 Overview
This document provides the following processes: project management and systems definition and
realization. These processes integrate tasks selected from ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289.
Annex A provides information about deployment packages (DPs) which facilitate the implementation of
these processes.
st
Table 1 illustrates the four-stage systems engineering (SE) roadmap. The 1 column on the left lists the two
nd
processes of the ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-1 Entry profile. The list of processes of the Basic profile of the 2 column
nd
is incrementally built from the left column, so that the processes for the 2 column are the ones from the

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Entry profile plus a conditional process, new tasks and new work products. The list of the processes of the
rd
Intermediate profile of the 3 column are the processes in the second column plus one new processes. The
th rd
list of the process of the Advanced profile of the 4 column are the processes in the 3 column plus one new
process.
Table 1 — Systems engineering 4-stage roadmap
ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-1 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-3 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-4
Entry profile   Basic profile   Intermediate profile   Advanced profile
— System definition and Processes of ISO/IEC 29110- Processes of ISO/IEC 29110- Processes of ISO/IEC 29110-
realization process 5-6-1 and: 5-6-2 and: 5-6-3 and:
— Conditional — Technical management — Conditional process:
— Project management
process: acquisition System transition and
process
management disposal process
— additional tasks and
work products
The purpose of the project management (PM) process is to establish and carry out, in a systematic way, the
tasks of the system definition and realization process, while conforming to the project’s objectives for the
expected quality, time, cost, and risks.
The purpose of the system definition and realization (SR) process is the systematic performance of the
analysis, design, implementation, integration, verification, and validation activities for a new or modified
system, according to the specified requirements.
The purpose of the acquisition management (AM) process is to obtain either work products or services, or
both, required by the VSE. The execution of the AM process is required only if a work product or service
should be obtained from a supplier by the VSE, i.e. it is a conditional process.
This document provides three processes: a project management (PM) process, a system definition and
realization process, and a conditional process - the acquisition management (AM) process. The three
processes are interrelated as illustrated in Figure 2.
The processes illustrated in Figure 2 are intended to be used with any life cycle such as waterfall, iterative,
incremental, evolutionary or agile.
Figure 2 — Processes and activities of the SE Basic profile
The project management (PM) process uses the acquirer’s agreement to elaborate the project plan. If there
is no agreement available from the customer, the project management, in collaboration with the work team,
should clarify the basis to develop the agreement. The project assessment and control tasks compare the
project progress against the project plan and actions are taken to eliminate deviations or incorporate

© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
changes to the project plan. The project closure activity ensures delivery of the product (new or modified
product), produced by system definition and realization (SR) process, and gets the acquirer’s acceptance to
formalize the end of the project. A project repository is established to save the work products and to control
its versions during the project.
The execution of the system definition and realization (SR) process is driven by the systems engineering
management plan (SEMP). An early SR activity is to generate an SEMP. The SEMP guides the execution of
the requirements elicitation, analysis, system design, system implementation, integration and verification,
validation, product delivery, maintenance and disposal activities
...

ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Date: 2026-02-23
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 N10094
Secretariat: BIS
Date: 2026-04-10
Systems and software engineering — Life cycle profiles for very small
entities (VSEs) — —
Part 5-6-2:
System engineering guidelines for the generic Basic profile
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel— Ingénierie des systèmes - — Profils de cycle de vie pour très petits
organismes (TPO)— ) —
Partie 5-6-2: guide d’ingénierie et de gestion en ingénierieLignes directrices d'ingénierie des systèmes - Profil
Basique du groupeprofil basique générique
FDIS stage
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO
at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: + 41 22 749 01 11
EmailE-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2025 2026 – All rights reserved
ii
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Contents
Foreword . v
Introduction . vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms . 4
4.1 General . 4
4.2 Abbreviated terms . 4
4.3 Naming, diagramming and definition conventions . 5
5 Systems thinking . 7
6 Overview . 7
7 Project management (PM) process . 9
7.1 PM process purpose . 9
7.2 PM process outcomes . 9
7.3 PM roles involved . 9
7.4 PM activities and tasks . 10
7.5 PM incorporation to project repository . 21
8 System definition and realization (SR) process . 21
8.1 SR process purpose . 21
8.2 SR process outcomes . 21
8.3 SR roles involved . 22
8.4 SR diagram . 22
8.5 SR incorporation to the project repository . 39
9 Acquisition management (AM) process . 40
9.1 AM process purpose . 40
9.2 AM process outcome . 40
9.3 AM roles involved . 40
9.4 AM activities and tasks . 40
9.5 AM incorporation to the project repository . 43
10 Description of roles . 44
11 Description of work products. 45
11.1 States of work products . 45
11.2 Detailed description of work products . 46
12 System tools . 64
12.1 System tools overview. 64
12.2 Project management process tools . 64
12.3 System definition and realization process . 64
12.4 System tools’ updates and adaptability . 64
Annex A (Informative) Systems engineering deployment packages . 66
Annex B (informative) Mapping between the outcomes of this document and the ISO/IEC/IEEE
15288 . 68
Bibliography . 70

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Table of illustrations
Table of tables
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members
of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of
document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC
Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of
(a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not received
notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are
cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database
available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for
identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 7, Software and systems engineering.
This first edition replaces ISO/IEC TR 29110-5-6-2:2014, which had been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— — many task statements have been reworded to facilitate their understanding;
— — conditional tasks have been added to develop optional work products (e.g. operation guide) that have
been requested by a customer; this notation replaces the ‘Optional’ notation [e.g. *(optional)] used in the
TR that caused ambiguities.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 29110 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and www.iec.ch/national-
committees.
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Introduction
0.1 0.1  Introduction to the ISO/IEC 29110 seriestheISO/IEC29110series
For the ISO/IEC 29110 series, a very small entity (VSE) is an enterprise, an organization (e.g. government
agency, non-profit organization), a department or a project having up to 25 people. Many VSEs either develop
systems or maintain systems, or both, along with the software components used in those systems, either as
independent products or incorporated into the larger system. Due to this a recognition of VSEs as suppliers of
high-quality products is required.
VSEs around the world are creating valuable products and services. According to the World Bank, small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) account for about 90 % of enterprises worldwide. According to the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), SMEs represent 99 % of all businesses and generate
about 60 % of employment. Almost one person out of three is employed in a micro firm with less than 10
employees. The European Union reports that micro firms, with fewer than 10 persons, account for 93,5 % of
all enterprises and small firms, with 10 to 49 employees, account for 5,5 % of all enterprises. The challenge
facing OECD governments is to provide a business environment that supports the competitiveness of this large
heterogeneous business population and that promotes a vibrant entrepreneurial culture.
From studies and surveys conducted, the majority of International Standardsinternational standards do not
address the needs of VSEs. Implementation of and conformity with these standards is difficult, if not
impossible.
Consequently, VSEs have no, or very limited, ways to be recognized as entities that produce quality
systems/system elements including software in their domain. Therefore, VSEs are excluded from some
economic activities.
It has been found that VSEs find it difficult to relate International Standardsinternational standards to their
business needs and to justify the effort required to apply standards to their business practices. Most VSEs can
neither afford the resources, in terms of number of employees, expertise, budget and time, nor do they see a
net benefit in establishing over-complex systems or software life cycle processes. To address some of these
difficulties, a set of guidelines has been developed based on a set of VSE characteristics. The guidelines are
based on subsets of appropriate standards processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes, referred to as profiles.
The purpose of a profile is to define a subset of International Standardsinternational standards relevant to the
VSEs' context, for example, processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 for software;
processes, activities, tasks, and outcomes of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 for systems; and information products
(documentation) of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 for software and systems.
VSEs can achieve recognition through implementing a profile and by being audited against ISO/IEC 29110
specifications.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series can be applied at any phase of system or software development within a life cycle.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used by VSEs that do not have experience or expertise in adapting
or tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to the needs of a specific project. VSEs that have
expertise in adapting or tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 are encouraged to use those
standards instead of the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
The ISO/IEC 29110 series is intended to be used with any life cycle such as waterfall, iterative, incremental,
evolutionary or agile.
The life cycle processes described in the ISO/IEC 29110 series are not intended to preclude or discourage their
use by organizations bigger than VSEs.
Systems, in the context of the ISO/IEC 29110 series, are typically composed of hardware and software
components.
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The ISO/IEC 29110 series, targeted by audience, has been developed to improve the process performance, and
the quality of either system or service, or both. Figure 1 describes the ISO/IEC 29110 series and positions the
parts within the framework of reference.

Figure 1— The ISO/IEC 29110 series
ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 introduces processes, life cycle and standardization concepts, the taxonomy (catalogue)
of ISO/IEC 29110 profiles and the ISO/IEC 29110 series. ISO/IEC 29110-1-1 also introduces the
characteristics and needs of a VSE, and clarifies the rationale for specific profiles, documents, standards and
guidelines. ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 defines the terms common to the ISO/IEC 29110 series. ISO/IEC 29110-1-1
and ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 are targeted at VSEs and their customers, assessors, standards producers, tool
vendors and methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-2 introduces the concepts for systems and software engineering profiles for VSEs. It
establishes the logic behind the definition and application of profiles. For standardized profiles, it specifies the
elements common to all profiles (structure, requirements, conformity, and assessment). For domain-specific
profiles (profiles that are not standardized and developed outside of the ISO process), it provides general
guidance adapted from the definition of standardized profiles. ISO/IEC 29110-2 is targeted at profile
producers, tool vendors and methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 defines certification schemes, assessment guidelines and compliance requirements for
process capability assessment, conformity assessments, and self-assessments for process improvements.
ISO/IEC 29110-3 also contains information that can be useful to developers of certification and assessment
methods and developers of certification and assessment tools. ISO/IEC 29110-3 is addressed to people who
have direct involvement with the assessment process, e.g., the auditor, certification and accreditation bodies
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
and the sponsor of the audit, who need guidance on ensuring that the requirements for performing an audit
have been met. ISO/IEC 29110-3 is targeted at VSEs and their customers, assessors, accreditation bodies.
ISO/IEC 29110-4 provides the specifications for all generic profiles of the generic profile group that are based
on subsets of appropriate standards elements. ISO/IEC 29110-4 is targeted at VSEs, customers, standards
producers, tool vendors and methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-5 provides a management, engineering and service delivery guidelines for profiles of the
Generic profile group. ISO/IEC 29110-5 is targeted at VSEs and their customers.
ISO/IEC 29110-6 provides the specifications for specific profiles that are based on subsets of appropriate
standards elements. ISO/IEC 29110-6 is targeted at VSEs, customers, standards producers, tool vendors and
methodology vendors.
ISO/IEC 29110-7 provides a guideline for each profile of the specific profile group. ISO/IEC 29110-7 is
targeted at VSEs and their customers.
If a new profile is needed, ISO/IEC 29110-4 or ISO/IEC 29110-6 and or ISO/IEC 29110-7, ISO/IEC 29110-5
can be developed with minimal impact to existing documents.
0.2 0.2  Introduction to this document
This document is the second systems profile of a four-profile systems engineering roadmap (i.e. Entry, Basic,
Intermediate and Advanced).
The Basic profile describes the development of a system by a VSE developing a single product by a single work
team.
Since a VSE may be an enterprise, a project or a department of an organization, a customer of a VSE can be
internal or external to the organization.
The outcomes and tasks are guidance, not requirements, for purposes of process assessment.
This document provides the management and engineering guidelines to the Basic profile through project
management and system definition and realization processes.
This document applies for non-critical systems development projects.
To use this document, a VSE should fulfil the following conditions:
— — project needs and expectations are documented;
— — feasibility of the project is performed before its start;
— — project team, including project manager and system engineer, is assigned and trained;
— — goods, services and infrastructure to start the project are available.
This document is intended to be used with any processes, techniques and methods that enhance the VSE's
stakeholder’s satisfaction and productivity. Using this document, a VSE can obtain the following benefits:
— — an agreed set of project requirements (technical part of the contract) and expected products are
agreed by the acquirer;
— — a disciplined management process that provides project visibility and corrective actions of project
problems and deviations is performed;
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— — a systematic system definition and realization process, that satisfies acquirer needs and enables
quality products, is followed.
VSEs developing software that is part of a system are encouraged to use the software Basic management and
engineering guidelines (ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2).
Annex AAnnex A provides information about systems engineering deployment packages. Annex BAnnex B
provides a mapping between the outcomes of this document and the ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
Requirements for implementations of this document can be found in ISO/IEC 29110-4-1m1.
© ISO/IEC 2026 – All rights reserved
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DRAFT International Standard ISO/IEC DIS 29110-5-6-2:2025(en)

Systems and software engineering — Life cycle profiles for very small
entities (VSEs) — —
Part 5-6-2: Systems
System engineering guidelines for the generic Basic profile
1 Scope
This document describes processes targeted at VSEs that develop a single product by a single work team.
This document provides management and engineering guidelines for the systems engineering Basic profile of
the generic profile group.
This document is applicable to VSEs that develop non-safety critical systems and have little or no experience
with systems engineering (SE) process planning and implementation using the ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
This document is also applicable to VSEs which are familiar with the management and engineering guidelines
of the systems engineering Entry profile (ISO/IEC 29110 5-6-1) for their system development projects.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— — ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— — IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1 Terms and definitions
3.1.1 3.1.1
acquirer
stakeholder that acquires or procures a system (3.1.14(3.1.15),), product or service from a supplier
Note 1 to entry: Other terms commonly used for an acquirer are buyer, customer, owner, or purchaser, or
internal/organizational sponsor.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.1]
3.1.2 3.1.2
Advanced profile
profile (3.1.11(3.1.11)) targeted at VSEs which want to sustain and grow as a competitive system
(3.1.14(3.1.15)) and/or software development organization
ISO/IEC 2025– All rights reserved

ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.3]
3.1.3 3.1.3
agreement
mutual acknowledgement of terms and conditions under which a working relationship is conducted
EXAMPLE Contract, memorandum of agreement.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.4]
3.1.4 3.1.4
Basic profile
profile (3.1.11(3.11)) targeted at VSEs developing a single product by a single work team
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.18]
3.1.5
business critical product
product that is essential to the operation of a business or organization, whose sustained failure would result
in significant business impacts e.g., loss of revenue or loss of reputation
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.21]
3.1.5 3.1.6
conditional process
process that can be mandatory under some specified conditions, can be optional under other specified
conditions, and can be out of scope or not applicable under other specified conditions
Note 1 to entry: These are to be observed if the specified conditions apply.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-4:2025, 3.6, modified]
3.1.6 3.1.7
conditional task
task that can be mandatory under some specified condition(s), can be optional under other specified
conditions, and can be out of scope or not applicable under other specified conditions
Note 1 to entry: These shallare to be observed if the specified condition(s) apply.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2: 2024, 3.28]
3.1.7 3.1.8
critical system
product that is essential to the operation of a business or organization, whose sustained failure would result
in significant business impacts, e.g. loss of revenue or loss of reputation
3.1.8 3.1.9
Entry profile
profile (3.1.11(3.1.12)) targeted at start-up VSEs (i.e. VSEs who started their operation fewer than three years
ago) and/or at VSEs working on a single small project (e.g. project size of less than 6 person-months)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.40]
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ISO/IEC DISFDIS 29110-5-6-2:20252026(en)
3.1.9 3.1.10
Intermediate profile
profile (3.1.11(3.1.12)) targeted at VSEs involved in the development of more than one project in parallel with
more than one work team
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.48]
3.1.10 3.1.11
operator
individual or organization that performs the operations of a system
Note 1 to entry: The role of operator and the role of user (3.1.15(3.1.16)) can be vested, simultaneously or sequentially,
in the same individual or organization.
Note 2 to entry: An individual operator combined with knowledge, skills and procedures can be considered as an element
of the system.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.24, modified — Note 3 to entry has been removed.]
3.1.11 3.1.12
profile
subset of appropriate standards’ processes and their outcomes, activities and tasks combined to accomplish a
particular function
Note 1 to entry: The base standards used to develop profiles for VSEs are ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.70]
3.1.12 3.1.13
safety-critical system
system whose failure or malfunction can result in one (or more) of the following outcomes:
— — death or serious injury to people
— — loss or severe damage to equipment or property
— — environmental harm
EXAMPLE : Examples of safety-critical systems are critical infra-structures, medical equipment, transportation, and
nuclear power plants. Safety-critical systems are also sometimes called life-critical systems.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 23643:2020, 3.15]
3.1.13 3.1.14
small and medium enterprise
SME
enterprises with fewer than 250 persons employed
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29110-1-2:2024, 3.92, modified]
3.1.14 3.1.15
system
arrangement of parts or elements that together exhibit a stated behaviour or meaning that the individual
constituents do not
Note 1 to entry: A system is sometimes considered as a product or as the services it provides.
© ISO/IEC 20252026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Note 2 to entry: In practice, the interpretation of its meaning is frequently clarified by the use of an associative noun, e.g.
aircraft system. Alternatively, the word “system” is substituted simply by a context-dependent synonym (e.g. aircraft),
though this potentially obscures a system principles perspective.
Note 3 to entry: A complete system includes all of the associated equipment, facilities, material, computer programs,
firmware, technical documentation, services, and personnel required for operations and support to the degree necessary
for self-sufficient use in its intended environment.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.46]
3.1.15 3.1.16
user
individual or group that ineteracts with a system (3.1.14(3.1.15)) or benefits from a system during its
utilization
Note 1 to entry: The role of user and the role of operator (3.1.10(3.1.11)) are sometimes vested, simultaneously or
sequentially, in the same individual or organization.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 3.53]
3.1.16 3.1.17
work breakdown structure
WBS
deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish
the project objectives and create the required deliverables
Note 1 to entry: It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 26511:2018, 3.1.42, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.17 3.1.18
work product
artefact produced by a process
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 15940:2013, 2.5, modified — Note 1 to entry has been removed.]
4 Conventions and abbreviated terms
4.1 General
Conventions for naming, diagramming, describing and defining profiles are defined in ISO/IEC 29110-2-1.
3.24.2 Abbreviated terms
ACQ acquirer
BM business manager
DES designer
DEV developer
HW hardware
PJM project manager
PM project management
SW software
© ISO/IEC 2025 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC DISFDIS 29110-5-6-2:20252026(en)
SBS system breakdown structure
SDD system design document
SE systems engineering
SEMP systems engineering management plan
SMART specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and traceable
SR system definition and realization
STK stakeholder
SUP supplier
SYS systems engineer
V&V verification, validation
VSE very small entity
VVE V&V engineer
WT work team
41 Conventions and abbreviated terms
4.11.1 General
Conventions for naming, diagramming, describing and defining profiles are defined in ISO/IEC 29110-2-1.
4.24.3 Naming, diagramming and definition conventions
The following process structure description and notation are used to describe the processes.
Process name – process identifier, followed by its abbreviation in parentheses “( )”.
Process purpose – high-level objective of performing the process and the likely outcomes of effective
implementation of the process.
Process outcomes – observable result of the successful achievement of the process purpose. Outcomes are
identified by the abbreviation of the process name, followed by the letter “O” and a consecutive number, for
example PM.O1, SI.O2, etc.
Input work products – work products which can be used to perform the process and its corresponding source,
which can be another process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer. Identified by the
abbreviation of the process name.
Output work products – work products generated by the process and its corresponding destination, which can
be another process or an external entity to the project, such as customer. Identified by the abbreviation of the
process name.
Internal work products – work products generated (i.e. output work product) and consumed (i.e. input work
product) by the process. An internal work product is not reviewed or approved by the customer.
All work products’ names initiate with capital letters. Some work products have one or more statuses attached
to the work product name surrounded by square brackets “[ ]” and separated by ”,”. The work product state
may change during the process execution. See Clause 11Clause 11 for the alphabetical list of the work
products, its descriptions, possible states and the source of the work product. The source can be another
process or an external entity to the project, such as the customer.
© ISO/IEC 20252026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
Roles involved – names and abbreviation of the functions to be performed by project team members. Several
roles may be played by a single person, and one role may be assumed by several persons. Roles are assigned
to project participants based on the characteristics of the project. The role list is identified by the abbreviation
of the process name and showed as two column tables. See Clause 8Clause 8 for the alphabetical list of the
roles, its abbreviations and recommended competencies description.
Diagram – graphical representation of the processes. The large round-edged rectangles indicate process or
activities, and the smaller square-edged rectangles indicate the work products. The directional or bidirectional
thick arrows indicate the major flow of information between processes or activities. The directional or
bidirectional thin arrows indicate the input or output work products. The notation used in the diagrams does
not imply the use of any specific process life cycle.
Activity – a set of cohesive tasks of a process. The task statements in this document are not imperative. A
process activity is the first level of process workflow decomposition, and the second one is a task. Activities
are identified by process name abbreviation followed by consecutive number and the activity name.
Activity description – each activity description is identified by the activity name and the list of related process
outcomes surrounded by parentheses “( )”. For example, activity PM.01 project planning (PM.O1, PM.O5,
PM.O6, PM.O7) means that the activity PM.01 project planning contributes to the achievement of the listed
outcomes: PM.O1, PM.O5, PM.O6 and PM.O7.
Task description – each task description begins with an active verb (e.g. assign, test) and is followed by an
object (e.g. review the project plan). To facilitate their implementation, a few tasks are broken down into
elementary tasks. The task description doesn’t impose any technique or method to perform it. The selection
of the techniques or methods is left to the VSE or project team.
Task description tables contain four columns corresponding to:
— — Role - the abbreviation of role(s) involved in the task execution.
— — Task - description of the task to be performed. Each task is identified by activity ID and consecutive
number, for example PM.01.01, PM.01.02. A few numbered items are added to provide additional
information intended to assist the understanding or use of tasks.
— — Input work products – work products needed to execute a task.
— — Output work products – work products created or modified by the execution of a task.
NOTE 1 A conditional task is executed if its associated work product (e.g. software user documentation) is required
by the customer and listed in the delivery instructions. A conditional task statement is preceded with this text: " x)
Conditional task". A work product associated to a conditional task is identified as an ‘optional’ work product.
Incorporation to project repository – list of work products to be saved in the project repository; the version
control strategy is applied to some of them. A few work products (e.g. requirements) are baselined, a change
to a baselined work product can be done through an approved change request.
NOTE 2 Tables used in process description are for presentation purposes only.
NOTE 3 The term ‘Basic’ is using a capital ‘B’ to indicate an ISO/IEC 29110 profile (e.g. the Basic profile) while the
term ‘basic’ is used when referring to the most important part of something (e.g. basic principles).
NOTE 4 A work product is baselined when it has been approved and uploaded in the repository.
© ISO/IEC 2025 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC DISFDIS 29110-5-6-2:20252026(en)
5 Systems thinking
The traditional approach to solve a problem is called analysis. This approach focuses on breaking a problem
into small parts and, once each part is resolved, the whole problem is solved. This approach, however, has
limitations because the insight of the whole system can be lost. This limitation brings forth the systems
thinking concept, which analyses and observes the system as a whole and identifies the interrelationships
among its constituent parts as well as its relationship with the system environment (e.g. enabling systems).
Systems thinking allows for a better understanding of the systems as a whole. Systems thinking is used to
broaden the perspective to larger environments by considering the entire life cycle of the system and the
different possible applications of the system. Systems can be immersed in different environments and multiple
relationships can emerge. Every project has a context in which the system is embedded. Thus, a system is not
only composed of software and hardware, but is always part of a larger operation, often involving people and
other systems. The designer should clearly understand these relationships before defining a solution.
The “system” perspective enables the design of an optimized system to consider all needs and constraints.
This perspective also helps to invent new solutions to meet existing needs or in some cases create new needs.
For this document, systems thinking should be adopted when understanding the system to be designed so
that, when identifying the requirements, all stakeholders’ needs are considered, as well as the context in which
the system should operate. Following this approach, when implementing the requirements in work products,
it helps ensure effective integration of the parts.
6 Overview
This document provides the following processes: project management and systems definition and realization.
These processes integrate tasks selected from ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289.
Annex AAnnex A provides information about deployment packages (DPs) which facilitate the implementation
of these processes.
st
Table 1Table 1 illustrates the four-stage systems engineering (SE) roadmap. The 1 column on the left lists
nd
the two processes of the ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-1 Entry profile. The list of processes of the Basic profile of the 2
nd
column is incrementally built from the left column, so that the processes for the 2 column are the ones from
the Entry profile plus a conditional process, new tasks and new work products. The list of the processes of the
rd
Intermediate profile of the 3 column are the processes in the second column plus one new processes. The list
th rd
of the process of the Advanced profile of the 4 column are the processes in the 3 column plus one new
process.
Table 1— Systems engineering 4-stage roadmap
ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-1 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-2 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-3 ISO/IEC 29110-5-6-4
Entry profile    Basic profile    Intermediate    Advanced profile
profile
— — System definition
Processes of ISO/IEC Processes of ISO/IEC Processes of ISO/IEC
and realization process
29110-5-6-1 and: 29110-5-6-2 and: 29110-5-6-3 and:
— — Conditional — — Technical — — Conditional
— — Project
process: acquisition management process: System
management process
management transition and disposal
process
— — additional tasks
and work products
© ISO/IEC 20252026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC FDIS 29110-5-6-2:2026(en)
The purpose of the project management (PM) process is to establish and carry out, in a systematic way, the
tasks of the system definition and realization process, while conforming to the project’s objectives for the
expected quality, time, cost, and risks.
The purpose of the system definition and realization (SR) process is the systematic performance of the
analysis, design, implementation, integration, verification, and validation activities for a new or modified
system, according to the specified requirements.
The purpose of the acquisition management (AM) process is to obtain either work products or services, or
both, required by the VSE. The execution of the AM process is required only if a work product or service should
be obtained from a supplier by the VSE, i.e. it is a conditional process.
This document provides three processes: a project management (PM) process, a system definition and
realization process, and a conditional process - the acquisition management (AM) process. The three
processes are interrelated as illustrated in Figure 2Figure 2.
The processes illustrated in Figure 2Figure 2 are intended to be used with any life cycle such as waterfall,
iterative, incremental, evolutionary or agile.

Figure 2— Processes and activities of the SE Basic profile
The project management (PM) process uses the acquirer’s agreement to elaborate the project plan. If there is
no agreement available from the customer, the project management, in collaboration with the work team,
should clarify the basis to develop the agreement.m The project assessment and control tasks compare the
project progress against the project plan and actions are taken to eliminate deviations or incorporate changes
to the project plan. The project closure activity ensures delivery of the product (new or modified product),
produced by system definition and realization (SR) process, and gets the acquirer’s acceptance to formalize
the end of the project. A project repository is established to save the work products and to control its versions
during the project.
The execution of the system definition and realization (SR) process is driven by the systems engineering
management plan (SEMP). An early SR activity is to generate an SEMP. The SEMP guides the execution of the
requirements elicitation, analysis, system design, system implementation, integration and verification,
validation, product delivery, maintenance and disposal activities.
As illustrated in Figure 2Figure 2,, the acquirer provides an agreement as an input to project management
process and receives a product as a result of system definition and realization process execution. The
acquisition management (AM) process is executed if a work product or a service should be obtained from a
supplier by the VSE.
© ISO/IEC 2025 2026 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC DISFDIS 29110-5-6-2:20252026(en)
7 Project management (PM) process
7.1 PM process purpose
The purpose of the project management process is to achieve the project’s time, quality and cost objectives by
establishing and executing the tasks of the software implementation project systematically. It also carries out
administrative tasks relating to the storage, handling, protection and delivery of work products and
configuration items.
This document is intended to be used by the VSE to establish processes to implement any development
approach or methodology including, for example, agile, evolutionary, incremental, test-driven development,
based on the VSE or project needs.
7.2 PM process outcomes
PM.O1: The project plan, the agreement and commitments are reviewed and accepted by both the acquirer
and the project manager. The tasks and resources necessary to complete the work are sized and estimated.
PM.O2: Progress of the project is monitored against the project plan and recorded in the progress status
record. Corrections to remediate problems and deviations from the plan are taken when project targets are
not achieved. Closure of the project is performed to get the acquirer acceptance documented in the product
acceptance record.
PM.O3: Change requests are addressed through their reception and analysis. Changes to system requirements
are evaluated by the project team for cost, schedule, risks and technical impact.
PM.O4: Review meetings with the work team and the acquirer, suppliers are held. Agreements are registered
and tracked.
PM.O5: A risk management approach is developed. Risks are identified, analysed, prioritized, and monitored
as they develop and during the conduct of the project. Resources to manage the risks are determined.
PM.O6: A product management strategy is developed. Items of product are identified, defined and baselined.
Modifications and releases of the items are controlled and made available to the acquirer and work team. The
storage, handling and delivery of the items are controlled.
PM.O7: Quality assurance is performed to provide assurance that work products and processes comply with
the project plan and system requirements specifications.
NOTE The implementation of the quality assurance is through the performance of the verifications, validations and
review tasks performed in project management and system definition and realization processes.
PM.O8: A disposal management approach is developed to end the existence of the system entity.
7.3 PM roles involved
Table 2 providesThe following is a list of the
...