ISO/IEC TR 29110-2-2:2016

Courtesy: ISO/IEC TR 29110-2-2:2016

ISO/IEC 29110: Systems and Software Life Cycle Profiles and Guidelines for Very Small Entities (VSEs) International Standards (IS) and Technical Reports (TR) are targeted at Very Small Entities (VSEs). A Very Small Entity (VSE) is an enterprise, an organization, a department or a project having up to 25 people. The ISO/IEC 29110 is a series of international standards and guides entitled “Systems and Software Engineering — Lifecycle Profiles for Very Small Entities (VSEs)“. The standards and technical reports were developed by working group 24 (WG24) of sub-committee 7 (SC7) of Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1) of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission.

Industries around the world have agreed that there are certain ways of working that produce predictable results. Companies that agree to use these agreed methods and then to have their compliance measured are called ISO certificated. Some ISO-certificated organizations require that their vendors also be ISO certificated. The general standard for software development, ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, is appropriate for medium and large software development efforts. Similarly, the general standard for system development, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, is appropriate for medium and large system development efforts. Systems, in the context of ISO/IEC 29110, are typically composed of hardware and software components. Things work differently in small organisations; ISO 29110 reflects that.

Industry and public organizations (e.g., government agency, non-profit organization) recognize that VSEs make valuable products and services. VSEs also develop and maintain systems and software used in larger systems, so there is a need to recognize VSEs as suppliers of high quality systems and software.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook report (2005), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) constitute the dominant form of business organisation in all countries worldwide, accounting for 95% to 99% of the business population depending on country. 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.

Studies and surveys conclude that the majority of International Standards do not address the needs of VSEs. Conformance with these standards is difficult, if not impossible, giving VSEs no way, or very limited ways, to be recognized as entities that produce quality software. Therefore, VSEs are often cut off from some economic activities.

It has been found that VSEs find it difficult to relate international standards to their business needs and to justify their application to their business practices. Most VSEs can neither afford the resources, in terms of number of employees, budget and time, nor see a net benefit in establishing software life cycle processes. To rectify some of these difficulties, a set of standards and technical reports has been developed according to a set of VSE characteristics