Overview
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-4:2021 - Systems and software engineering: Assurance in the life cycle provides guidance and recommendations for demonstrating that a selected assurance claim about a system-of-interest has been achieved. The standard frames assurance in two aligned process views: a system assurance process view built on ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life cycle processes) and a software assurance process view built on ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 (software life cycle processes). It focuses on achieving the claim and showing the achievement (evidence and argumentation).
Key Topics
- Assurance concepts and vocabulary (linked to ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-1): assurance, assurance argument, assurance case.
- Assurance claim and assurance information: how to define the claim and the information needed to support it.
- Process-oriented guidance: mapping assurance activities to life cycle processes (system and software).
- Guidance and recommendations across life cycle processes, including:
- acquisition, supply, configuration management, information management
- quality, project planning, risk management, verification, validation
- design, implementation, integration, operation, maintenance, disposal
- Outcomes and conformance: defining what successful assurance activities should produce and how to show conformance.
- Linkage to assurance case structures (see ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-2) and integrity-level concepts (see ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-3).
Applications
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-4:2021 is intended for organizations and practitioners who need to build, manage or evaluate assurance for systems and software across the life cycle:
- Systems engineers and software engineers mapping assurance to life-cycle processes.
- Assurance managers and quality professionals establishing assurance plans, evidence collection, and assurance arguments.
- Project managers, acquirers and suppliers integrating assurance tasks into contracts and development processes.
- Regulators and auditors who need a process-aligned basis to evaluate whether claims (e.g., safety, security, reliability) have been achieved and shown.
Practical uses include defining assurance activities in project plans, structuring evidence for assurance cases, and ensuring assurance information aligns with system/software life-cycle processes.
Related Standards
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-1 - Concepts and vocabulary
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-2 - Assurance case structure (minimum requirements)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-3 - Integrity levels and requirements
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 - System life cycle processes
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 - Software life cycle processes
ISO/IEC/IEEE 15026-4:2021 helps translate assurance claims into concrete life-cycle activities and traceable assurance information, making it a practical reference for assurance-driven system and software development.
