ISO 12207 is a standard concerning software lifecycle processes within the realm of systems and software engineering. It establishes a common framework and defines accompanying terminology that provides a closer description of the software lifecycle, which the software industry can rely on.

 

The standard describes processes, activities, and tasks identifiable not only in the procurement of software products/services but also in systems containing software, as well as processes within the procurement, development, operation, and maintenance of software products and software parts of systems.

This standard pertains to system acquisition processes and software products/services, as well as processes throughout the entire software product lifecycle, whether they are utilized within or outside an organization. Furthermore, it provides processes that can be applied in defining, controlling, and improving the software lifecycle processes.

ISO 12207 can be employed within one or more models:

For organizations – as assistance in establishing an environment of desired processes. These processes can be supported by methods, procedures, techniques, tools, and trained personnel. For projects – as assistance in selecting, structuring, and utilizing elements of the established process set. In this model, the standard is used to assess the project's compliance with the declared and established environment. For suppliers – as assistance in developing agreements regarding processes and activities, involving the selection, contracting, negotiating, and execution of processes and activities. For organizations and assessing bodies – to conduct assessments that could contribute, as support, to improving organizational processes. ISO 12207 is a standard under the jurisdiction of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 – the ISO committee dealing with the development of ISO standards in the field of systems and software engineering. It is part of the SC7 Integrated set of standards, which includes standards:

ISO/IEC TR 15504, concerning capability, ISO 12207 and ISO 15288 concerning lifecycle (of software and systems respectively), ISO 9001 and ISO 9000-3 concerning quality.

Structure of the standard

The ISO 12207 standard consists of 7 sections and 7 annexes:

Section 1 – Overview: This section discusses the framework, purpose, and limitations of the standard, Section 2 – Conformance: It provides a closer look at the concepts related to the standard – intended use, full conformance, and tailored conformance, Section 3 – Normative references: Referencing documents essential for applying the standard, Section 4 – Terms and definitions, Section 5 – Application of this International Standard: Key concepts of the standard application are presented here, along with details regarding the processes themselves (process lifecycle categories, process overview, and basic information about the Process Reference Model – PRM), Section 6 – System lifecycle processes, Section 7 – Software lifecycle processes.

Annex A – Adaptation process: This annex provides requirements for adapting this standard when full compliance with it is not possible. The adaptation process is described in terms of purpose, results, activities, or tasks, Annex B – Process reference model for assessment: This annex provides a process reference model suitable for use in conjunction with ISO/IEC 15504-2 (Information technology – Process Assessment – Part 2: Performing an Assessment) and is intended for users needing to assess implemented processes in compliance with that standard, Annex C – History and rationale: This annex is informative, providing insight into the history of development and giving justification for this standard, Annex D – Conformance of ISO/IEC 12207 and ISO/IEC 15288 processes: As these standards are interdependent, this annex provides a detailed description of their conformance and indicates their relationship, Annex E – Process reviews: This annex provides information to explain how a project integrates processes, activities, and tasks from ISO 12207 and ISO 15288 to achieve results of interest to various stakeholders, Annex F – Examples of process descriptions: It covers organizational alignment processes, organization management processes, and contract change management processes, Annex G – Relationship with other IEEE standards: This annex provides a table of processes from which IEEE standards might be useful in their implementation and execution, with detailed explanations of the relationship, Annex H – Bibliography, Annex I – List of participants.

Processes described in the standard can be divided into two groups:

System lifecycle processes: contracting processes (2 processes), project organizational support processes (5 processes), project processes (7 processes), technical processes (11 processes), Software lifecycle processes: software implementation processes (7 processes), software support processes (8 processes), software reuse processes (3 processes).

Relationship with other standards

ISO 12207 can be viewed in conjunction with ISO 15288, with which it is closely related, and it is anticipated that these standards may be merged into a single standard in the future. Within the SC7 set of standards, these two standards complement each other along with other standards in that group (ISO 9001, ISO 9000-3, ISO/IEC TR 15504).

Additionally, as no separate lifecycle model is defined, the standard is related to ISO/IEC TR 24748-1 (Systems and software engineering – Life cycle management – Part 1: Guide to life cycle management), which provides information on system lifecycle concepts that can be applied within the standard, as well as instructions for creating a unified lifecycle, depending on the organization's specific requirements.

Advantages of ISO 12207 Standard

As contemporary business operations cannot be imagined without some form of IT support, the ISO 12207 standard becomes more relevant than ever. It provides a necessary reference point for all types of projects involving software. The standard also serves as a basis for establishing mature processes and for further improvement of processes and projects.

For more details, you can visit the official ISO page on ISO/IEC 12207.