ISO/IEC 26555:2013

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 26555
First edition
2013-03-01

Software and systems engineering —
Tools and methods for product line
technical management
Ingénierie du logiciel et des systèmes — Outils et méthodes pour le
management technique des gammes de produits




Reference number
ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2013

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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)

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©  ISO/IEC 2013
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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
Contents Page
1  Scope . 1
2  Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 1
4  Reference model for product line technical management . 2
5  Process management . 6
5.1  Applying process enabling processes for product lines . 7
5.1.1  Establish process management group . 7
5.1.2  Align resources for process definition and improvements . 8
5.1.3  Govern process definition and improvement . 9
5.1.4  Prepare process management and improvement . 9
5.2  Domain engineering process definition . 10
5.2.1  Define domain engineering processes . 10
5.2.2  Validate domain engineering processes . 11
5.2.3  Deploy the domain engineering processes . 11
5.3  Application engineering process definition . 12
5.3.1  Define application engineering processes . 12
5.3.2  Validate the conformance of application engineering processes with domain engineering
processes . 13
5.3.3  Deploy the application engineering processes . 14
5.4  Applying process monitoring and control for product lines . 14
5.4.1  Plan for process monitoring and control . 15
5.4.2  Define process performance measures . 15
5.4.3  Measure and manage process performance . 15
5.4.4  Coordinate processes for improving reusability . 16
5.5  Applying process improvement for product lines . 16
5.5.1  Assess processes . 17
5.5.2  Estimate the impact of changes on processes . 18
5.5.3  Plan process improvement . 18
5.5.4  Implement process improvements . 18
5.5.5  Evaluate process improvement . 19
6  Variability management . 19
6.1  Variability model management . 20
6.1.1  Establish variability modeling policy . 21
6.1.2  Collect variability information . 21
6.1.3  Verify variability models . 22
6.1.4  Share and maintain variability models . 22
6.2  Variability documentation management . 23
6.2.1  Establish policies for variability documentation . 23
6.2.2  Collect annotations of variability models . 23
6.2.3  Validate the variability documentation . 24
6.3  Variability binding management . 24
6.3.1  Establish binding policy . 25
6.3.2  Guide trade-offs analysis among alternatives of binding time . 25
6.3.3  Guide binding time decision . 25
6.3.4  Maintain binding information . 26
6.4  Variability tracing . 26
6.4.1  Establish policies for traceability management of variability models . 27
6.4.2  Define links between variability model and domain assets . 27
6.4.3  Manage the changes of the defined trace links . 27
6.5  Variability control and evolution . 28
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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
6.5.1  Identify and analyze the evolution needs of variants .28
6.5.2  Add or remove variants .29
6.5.3  Add or remove dependencies and constraints .29
6.5.4  Change binding time .29
6.5.5  Maintain the affected traceabilities .30
6.5.6  Provide feedback for variabilities and the variability evolution process .30
7  Asset Management .30
7.1  Asset identification .31
7.1.1  Set up and maintain organizational policies for managing assets .32
7.1.2  Identity asset candidates .32
7.1.3  Estimate efforts necessary to create, reuse, and update domain assets .32
7.1.4  Determine assets .33
7.1.5  Elicit information necessary to reuse assets .33
7.2  Asset base implementation .34
7.2.1  Establish the mining (retrieval) mechanism for assets .34
7.2.2  Define and implement the CRUD method for assets .35
7.2.3  Establish asset base .35
7.2.4  Evaluate asset base .36
7.3  Asset verification .36
7.3.1  Review the selected assets .36
7.3.2  Review asset configurations .37
7.3.3  Create and release baselines of assets .37
7.4  Asset evolution (including change management) .37
7.4.1  Manage asset changes .38
7.4.2  Maintain traceability of assets .39
7.4.3  Manage feedback .39
7.4.4  Transform the existing assets into assets to rehabilitate asset base .39
7.4.5  Dispose assets from asset base .40
8  Support management processes .40
8.1  Technical quality management for SSPL .41
8.1.1  Establish technical quality management policy .41
8.1.2  Establish and maintain criteria for quality assurance .42
8.1.3  Perform quality assurance according to criteria .42
8.1.4  Communicate and ensure resolution of noncompliance issues .42
8.2  Configuration management for SSPL .43
8.2.1  Identify configurations of member products .44
8.2.2  Establish configuration tree for a product line .44
8.2.3  Manage configuration of variability in space .45
8.3  Decision management for SSPL .46
8.3.1  Establish decision management policy .46
8.3.2  Tailor decision procedure .47
8.3.3  Guide the decision execution .47
8.3.4  Learn from execution results .47
8.4  Technical risk management for SSPL .48
8.4.1  Identify technical risks .48
8.4.2  Assess technical risks .49
8.4.3  Develop technical risk mitigation plans .49
8.4.4  Activate the mitigation plan .49
8.5  Tool management for SSPL .50
8.5.1  Identify needs for tool management .50
8.5.2  Select and adapt tools .51
8.5.3  Set-up and maintain tools .51
Annex A (informative) Technical Management and Technical Readiness Levels (TRL) .52
Annex B (informative) Relationship with ISO/IEC 12207 processes .53
Annex C (informative) A Construct for Process, Method, Tool, and Aspect .55
Bibliography .56

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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
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. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 26555 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 7, Software and systems engineering.

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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
Introduction
The major purpose of this International Standard is to deal with the capabilities of tools and methods of
software and systems product line (SSPL) Technical Management. This International Standard defines how
the tools and methods can support for the software and systems product line-specific technical management
processes. Since product lines deal with multiple products that have similarities, product lines have an
unprecedented level of technical management complexities. This arises from several sources:
 There are inherent differences in technical considerations because there are parallel development
processes, domain and application engineering, in a product line and the two processes are tightly related
with each other around assets.
 The close relationships among domain engineering, application engineering, and assets require the
highly matured managerial capabilities for addressing relationships among them.
 There are lack of tools and methods to support the product line-specific technical management.
Technical management provides management support for a timely and proper deployment of product line in
balance with pre-defined product line objectives such as reusability, reducing cost, improving quality, and etc.
as well as its planned cost, schedule, and resources. Technical management addresses actual means used to
support, monitor, and control the activities of both domain engineering and application engineering of a
product line.
There are needs for defining product line-specific technical management processes that integrate the involved
product line disciplines with those for a single product. Furthermore, support of tools and methods are
required so that a product line organization can perform technical management under the systematic control
of complexities. This International Standard addresses the product line-specific processes in technical
management by dividing those into process management, variability management, asset management, and
support management areas with the guidance of a set of tools and methods capabilities for supporting tasks
for product line technical management.
This International Standard is intended to benefit people who acquire, supply, develop, operate, and maintain
tools and methods for product line technical management. This International Standard can be used in one or
more of the following modes:
 By an organization intended to implement product lines – to understand, adopt, and enact the processes,
tools, and methods for product line technical management. This also helps the organization to evaluate
and select relevant tools and methods based on business and user-related criteria.
 By a tool vendor who facilitates or leverages product line engineering practices – to provide a set of tool
capabilities that should be embodied in a tool for supporting product line technical management.
ISO/IEC 26550 addresses both engineering and management processes and covers the key characteristics of
product line development. ISO/IEC 26550 provides an overview of the consecutive international standards
(i.e., ISO/IEC 26551 through ISO/IEC 26556) as well as the structure of the model:
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for product line scoping, domain requirements
engineering, and application requirements engineering are provided as ISO/IEC 26551: Software and
systems engineering – Tools and methods for product line requirements engineering.
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for domain design and application design are provided
as ISO/IEC 26552: Software and systems engineering – Tools and methods for product line architecture
design.
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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for domain realization and application realization are
provided as ISO/IEC 26553: Software and systems engineering – Tools and methods for product line
realization.
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for domain verification and validation and application
verification and validation are provided as ISO/IEC 26554: Software and systems engineering – Tools
and methods for product line verification and validation.
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for technical management are provided as
ISO/IEC 26555: Software and systems engineering – Tools and methods for product line technical
management.
 Processes and capabilities of methods and tools for organizational management are provided as
ISO/IEC 26556: Software and systems engineering – Tools and methods for product line organizational
management.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)

Software and systems engineering — Tools and methods for
product line technical management
1 Scope
This International Standard deals with the tools and methods of technical management for software products,
software services, software-intensive systems (including System Architecture and excluding hardware) within
a product line. The scope of this International Standard is as follows:
 Enable the users of this International Standard to holistically understand, adopt, and enact the
processes, tools, and methods for product line technical management. This International Standard
also helps the users evaluate and select relevant tools and methods based on business and user-
related criteria.
 Help product line engineers, developers, and tool vendors make informed decisions about
capabilities of tools and methods that are required for supporting product line implementation from
technical aspects.
 Provide product line-specific processes and capabilities of tools and methods in technical
management.
This International Standard does not concern processes and capabilities of tools and methods for technical
management for a one-of-a-kind system but rather deals with those belonging to a family of systems.
NOTE System Architecture is a set of logical and physical principles used to achieve a mission within a given
environment. From System Architecture are derived components that can be subsystems, software products, human-
based products like crew or operators or hardware product like mechanical structures, electronic boards, chemicals, etc.
The scope of the standards spans from the system, to sub-systems and software products. Other types of components
and especially those related to human beings and to hardware parts are not within the scope of this International
Standard.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 12207:2008, Systems and software engineering — Software life cycle processes
ISO/IEC 15288:2008, Systems and software engineering — System life cycle processes
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply. The general terms common to all
software and systems product line have been excluded. For more information concerning the general terms,
see ISO/IEC 26550.
3.1
application engineering process
set of processes for developing a member product in a product line
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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
3.2
attached process
defines how each asset will be used in application
NOTE The set of attached processes are those for orchestrating the assets together into a coherent whole
application.
3.3
binding time
moment of variability resolution
3.4
external variability
variability that is visible to customers
3.5
domain engineering process
set of processes for domain asset development
3.6
internal variability
variability defined from an engineer’s perspective and is not visible to customers
3.7
variability binding
act of determining the variant of the variation point defined in the variability model
3.8
variability documentation
detailed description of variability models for being used across the member products within a product line
3.9
variability in space
variation occurs at the same time with different shape
3.10
variability in time
variation occurs at different times
3.11
variability mechanism
handles variants in a product line for supporting assembly of domain assets
3.12
variability traceability
trace links established for a variability model both with domain assets and with application assets where
variants are bound
4 Reference model for product line technical management
The technical management provides processes for addressing technical issues that arise during
implementation of a product line, deployment of processes, and development of assets and products within a
product line in balance with accomplishing the objectives of a product line, the given costs, schedule, and so
forth. Technical management process group deals with variability management, asset management, process
management, support management process for managing technical capabilities, resources, issues, and skills
that are required for successful implementation of product lines.
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ISO/IEC 26555:2013(E)
Tools and methods in technical management support the systematic development of product lines. Because
of profound complexity of product lines, proper tool support for domain engineering lifecycle, application
engineering lifecycle, technical management, and organizational management should be provided so that a
product line organization can control the technical complexities.
The reference model for technical management in Figure 1 is structured into four processes, process
management, variability management, asset management, and support management. Each process is divided
into subprocesses and each subprocess is described in terms of the following attributes:
 The title of the subprocess
 The purpose of the subprocess
 The inputs to produce the outcomes
 The tasks to achieve the outcomes
 The outcomes of the subprocess
 The capabilities of tools and methods are a list of the required support of tools and methods for
performing the tasks properly
Process Management Asset Management
Variability Management
Applying Process Enabling
Variability Model Management
Asset Identification
Processes for Product Lines
Domain Engineering Process
Variability Binding
Asset Base Implementation
Definition
Management
Application Engineering Variability Documentation
Asset Verification
Process Definition Management
Applying Process Monitoring
Variability Tracing Asset Evolution
and Control for Product Lines
Applying Process Improvement Variability Control and
for Product Lines Evolution
Support Management
Technical Quality Configuration
Processes
Management for SSPL Management for SSPL
Technical Risk Management Decision Management
Tool Management for SSPL
for SSPL for SSPL

Figure 1 — Product line technical management
Product line technical management shall be conducted from a multidimensional viewpoint that is domain and
application engineering. As managerial targets vary according to each viewpoint, management processes for
each of them differ. Moreover, assets are used across all applications, and hence applications within a
product line shall share common processes for deriving their applications from assets.
Product line development tends to be performed in a parallel or distributed manner, and therefore technical
management processes and related capabil
...