ISO/IEC 29110-1-1:2024

Systems and software engineering — Lifecycle profiles for very small entities (VSEs) — Part 1-1: Overview

This document establishes the major concepts required to understand and use the ISO/IEC 29110 series. It specifies the characteristics and requirements of a VSE, and clarifies the rationale for VSE-specific profiles, documents, profile specifications and guidelines. This document introduces the taxonomy (catalogue) of ISO/IEC 29110 profiles and the ISO/IEC 29110 series. This document is applicable to a VSE but can also be used by an entity that is larger than a VSE.

Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Profils de cycle de vie pour très petits organismes (TPO) — Partie 1-1: Aperçu général

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 14-May-2024
• 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: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 15-May-2024
• Due Date: 06-Jul-2025
• Completion Date: 15-May-2024

Relations

• Revises: ISO/IEC TR 29110-1:2016 - Systems and software engineering — Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities (VSEs) — Part 1: Overview
• Effective Date: 16-Jul-2022

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 29110-1-1
First edition
Systems and software
2024-05
engineering — Lifecycle profiles for
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 1-1:
Overview
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Profils de cycle de vie
pour très petits organismes (TPO) —
Partie 1-1: Aperçu général
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2024
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 1
5  VSE Characteristics and VSE potential benefits . 1
5.1 VSE characteristics .1
5.2 VSE potential benefits .2
6 Lifecycle process concepts . 2
6.1 General .2
6.2 Systems concepts .2
6.3 Life cycle models and stages .2
6.4 Life cycle product types .2
7 Process improvement and assessment concepts . 3
7.1 Process improvement concepts .3
7.2 Capability assessment concepts .3
7.3 Conformity assessment .3
8 Standardization concepts. 4
8.1 General .4
8.2 Standard .4
8.3 Guidelines .4
8.4 Profile .4
8.5 Profile group . .4
8.6 Generic profile group .4
8.7 Use of profiles .5
8.8 Conformity to profiles.5
9  Catalogue of VSE profile-based documents . 5
9.1 General .5
9.2 Profile-based documents .5
9.3 The software engineering generic profile group .6
9.3.1 General .6
9.3.2 The Entry profile .6
9.3.3 The Basic profile .6
9.3.4 The Intermediate profile .7
9.3.5 The Advanced profile .7
9.3.6 The agile profile .7
9.4 The systems engineering generic profile group .7
9.4.1 General .7
9.4.2 The Entry profile .7
9.4.3 The Basic profile .7
9.4.4 The Intermediate profile .7
9.4.5 The Advanced profile .7
9.5 The organizational management profile group .7
9.6 The service delivery profile group .8
9.7 Specific profile group — The space profile .8
10 Overview of the ISO/IEC 29110 series . 8
10.1 General .8
10.2 Profile specific documents .8
10.2.1 VSE profiles .8
10.2.2 Generic profile group .8

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
iii
10.2.3 Profile specifications .8
10.2.4 Management and engineering guidelines .8
10.2.5 Product line engineering .9
10.3 Introductory documents .9
10.3.1 Overview .9
10.3.2 Vocabulary .9
10.4 Framework .9
10.5 Domain specific profile .9
10.6 Certification and assessment guidelines .9
10.6.1 Guidelines .9
10.6.2 Certification guidelines .10
10.6.3 Assessment guidelines .10
10.6.4 Framework of autonomy-based improvement .10
10.7 Specific profile guidelines .10
Annex A (informative) Reference works .11
Bibliography .13

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
iv
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 07, Software and systems engineering.
This edition of ISO/IEC 29110-1-1, together with ISO/IEC 29110-1-2, cancels and replaces
ISO/IEC TR 29110-1:2016, which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— addition of concepts from parts of the ISO/IEC 29110 series published since the publication of the
ISO/IEC TR 29110-1:2016.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 29110 series can be found on the ISO website.
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.

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
v
Introduction
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. Since many VSEs develop
and/or maintain system and software components used in systems, either as independent products or
incorporated in larger systems, 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-sized 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 did not address the needs of
VSEs. Implementation of and conformity with these standards was difficult, if not impossible. See Annex A
for additional information.
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; and 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 the specifications
of the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
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/tailoring ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to the needs of a specific project. VSEs
that have expertise in adapting/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 lifecycle such as: waterfall, iterative, incremental,
evolutionary or agile.
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 system or software and/
or service quality, and process performance. Figure 1 describes the ISO/IEC 29110 series and positions the
parts within the framework of reference.

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
vi
Figure 1 — ISO/IEC 29110 series
The life cycle processes defined in the ISO/IEC 29110 series can be used by a VSE when developing, acquiring
and using, as well as when creating and supplying systems, having hardware and software elements. They
can be applied at any level in a systems development, software’s structure and at any stage in the life cycle.
The life cycle processes defined in the ISO/IEC 29110 series are not intended to preclude or discourage the
use of additional processes that a VSE finds useful.
This document is targeted both at the general audience wishing to understand the ISO/IEC 29110 series of
documents, and more specifically, at users of the ISO/IEC 29110 series.

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
vii
International Standard ISO/IEC 29110-1-1:2024(en)
Systems and software engineering — Lifecycle profiles for
very small entities (VSEs) —
Part 1-1:
Overview
1 Scope
This document establishes the major concepts required to understand and use the ISO/IEC 29110 series. It
specifies the characteristics and requirements of a VSE, and clarifies the rationale for VSE-specific profiles,
documents, profile specifications and guidelines.
This document introduces the taxonomy (catalogue) of ISO/IEC 29110 profiles and the ISO/IEC 29110 series.
This document is applicable to a VSE but can also be used by an entity that is larger than a VSE.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 29110-1-2, Standard atmospheres for conditioning and/or testing — Specifications
3  Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 29110-1-2 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/
4 Abbreviated terms
PLE product line engineering
SSPL software and systems product line
VSE Very Small Entity
5  VSE Characteristics and VSE potential benefits
5.1 VSE characteristics
VSEs are subject to a number of characteristics, needs and desirable competencies that affect the contents, the
nature and the extent of their activities. The profiles address a subset of VSEs which are described through
the following characteristics, needs, and desirable competencies, classified in four categories: finance and
resources, customer interface, internal business processes, and learning and growth. Amplification of these

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
characteristics is provided in ISO/IEC 29110-4, for example, ISO/IEC 29110-4-1, ISO/IEC 29110-4-2 and
ISO/IEC 29110-4-3.
In some cases, a VSE is expected to perform limited missions in the entire systems and/or software
development life cycle under the directions of either another organization or consortium fulfilling contract
or agreement requirements. These missions may be a part of the systems development and/or software
implementation project according to the statement of work. The VSE is chosen by its own competencies or
by a bid for the project.
5.2  VSE potential benefits
From the VSE perspective, some benefits considered for using the ISO/IEC 29110 series include good
internal system development processes, software management processes, greater customer confidence
and satisfaction, greater systems and/or software product quality, increased sponsorship for process
improvement and decreased development risk. These benefits can also help with increased competitiveness
and market share.
6 Lifecycle process concepts
6.1 General
This clause provides life cycle process concepts that are considered in the ISO/IEC 29110 series and
are supportive of the potential coordinated use of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, and
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289. It assists users in their management of information items as products of the system or
software life cycle.
6.2 Systems concepts
The systems approach to solving a problem is to analyse and observe the system as a whole and identify the
interrelationships among the parts that compose it, and also with the system environment (e.g. enabling
systems). It also considers 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. Following this approach, when deploying the requirements in smaller modules, it helps
ensure effective integration of the parts.
6.3 Life cycle models and stages
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017, 5.4.2 describes the life cycle model for the software and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015,
5.4.2 specifies the system life cycle stages.
6.4 Life cycle product types
This subclause helps to clarify that information items are essential to preserving what transpired when
using system and/or software life cycle processes and be identified as deliverable documents. Information
items allow project participants to have a common understanding of what is planned and how work is
performed. The result of a process can be documented or may imply the need for a document (or information
item) and often do not specify the contents.
The use of generic types simplifies the application of consistent structure, content, and formats for similar
information items (records and documents), to support usability. Successive parts of the ISO/IEC 29110
series define the life cycle data of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 by relating tasks and
activities to generic information item types. Some example lifecycle product types are shown in Table 1.

© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
Table 1 — Example life cycle product types
Type Purpose Sample of recommended output
information types
Record Characterize the data an organizational entity re- Configuration record
tains.
Problem record
Description Represent a planned or actual function, design, or High-level software design description
item
Plan Define when, how, and by whom specific activities Project management plan
are to be performed.
Procedure Define in detail when and how to perform certain Problem resolution procedure
activities or tasks, including tools needed.
Report Describe the results of activities such as investiga- Problem report
tions, assessments, and tests.
Validation report
Request Record information needed to solicit a response. Change request
Specification Specify a required function, performance or process Software requirements specification
(such as, requirements specification, standard, poli-
cy).
NOTE Adapted from ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289.
7 Process improvement and assessment concepts
7.1 Process improvement concepts
The process improvement concept is to encourage a VSE’s project teams to implement systematic approaches
which allow for the repetition and realism in estimating and implementing a project.
Process improvement concepts characterize all actions undertaken to improve an organization's processes
to both increase their efficiency and meet the organization's business goals. Some process improvement
activities are addressed in ISO/IEC 29110-3-3 and ISO/IEC TR 29110-3-4.
Ideally, process improvement is driven by business goals such as increasing quality, productivity, customer
satisfaction or increasing market share. Several approaches start with organizational goals identification,
followed by identification of potential problems preventing the realization of these business goals. From this
diagnosis, corrections are identified and implemented.
It can be easy for a VSE to over commit to a specific customer project based on their limited resources.
Periodic assessments and communication (internal and external) of the project progress help ensure
customer satisfaction.
7.2 Capability assessment concepts
Capability assessment concept refers to the determination of the extent to which the organization's processes
contribute to the achievement of its business goals and to help the organization focus on the need for process
improvement. For example, the assessment can be either formal or informal, use an outside evaluator or an
internal evaluator, use a standard checklist or personnel interviews, etc.
7.3 Conformity assessment
The conformity assessment parts describe the process for conformity assessment requirements needed to
get recognition of the implementation of defined VSE profiles. T
...