ISO/IEC 15288

The ISO/IEC 15288 Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes is a technical standard in systems engineering which covers processes and lifecycle stages, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Planning for the ISO/IEC 15288:2002(E) standard started in 1994 when the need for a common systems engineering process framework was recognized.

ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 is managed by ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7, which is the committee responsible for developing standards in the area of Software and Systems Engineering. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 is part of the SC 7 Integrated set of Standards, and other standards in this domain include:

• ISO/IEC TR 15504 which addresses capability
• ISO/IEC 12207 and ISO/IEC 15288 which address lifecycle and
• ISO 9001 & ISO 90003 which address quality

The previously accepted standard MIL STD 499A (1974) was cancelled after a memo from the United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) prohibited the use of most U.S. Military Standards without a waiver (this memo was rescinded in 2005). The first edition was issued on 1 November 2002. Stuart Arnold was the editor and Harold Lawson was the architect of the standard.^[1] In 2004 this standard was adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as IEEE 15288. ISO/IEC 15288 was updated in 2008, then again (as a joint publication with IEEE) in 2015 and 2023.^[2]

• ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023, 16 May 2023
• Revises: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015 (jointly with IEEE), 15 May 2015
• Revises: ISO/IEC 15288:2008 (harmonized with ISO/IEC 12207:2008), 1 February 2008
• Revises: ISO/IEC 15288:2002 (first edition), 1 November 2002

The standard defines thirty processes grouped into four categories:

• Agreement processes
• Organizational project-enabling processes
• Technical management processes
• Technical processes

The standard defines two agreement processes:

• Acquisition process (clause 6.1.1)
• Supply process (clause 6.1.2)

The standard defines six organizational project-enabling processes:

• Life cycle model management process (clause 6.2.1)
• Infrastructure management process (clause 6.2.2)
• Portfolio management process (clause 6.2.3)
• Human resources management process (clause 6.2.4)
• Quality management process (clause 6.2.5)
• Knowledge management process (clause 6.2.6)

The standard defines eight technical management processes:

• Project planning process (clause 6.3.1)
• Project assessment and control process (clause 6.3.2)
• Decision management process (clause 6.3.3)
• Risk management process (clause 6.3.4)
• Configuration management process (clause 6.3.5)
• Information management process (clause 6.3.6)
• Measurement process (clause 6.3.7)
• Quality assurance process (clause 6.3.8)

The standard defines fourteen technical processes:

• Business or mission analysis process (clause 6.4.1)
• Stakeholder needs and requirements definition process (clause 6.4.2)
• System requirements definition process (clause 6.4.3)
• Architecture definition process (clause 6.4.4)
• Design definition process (clause 6.4.5)
• System analysis process (clause 6.4.6)
• Implementation process (clause 6.4.7)
• Integration process (clause 6.4.8)
• Verification process (clause 6.4.9)
• Transition process (clause 6.4.10)
• Validation process (clause 6.4.11)
• Operation process (clause 6.4.12)
• Maintenance process (clause 6.4.13)
• Disposal process (clause 6.4.14)

Each process is defined by a purpose, outcomes and activities. Activities are further divided into tasks.

• Systems development life cycle
• System lifecycle
• Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
• ISO/IEC 12207
• Concept of operations or CONOPS