ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC/
STANDARD IEEE
24765
First edition
2010-12-15


Systems and software engineering —
Vocabulary
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Vocabulaire





Reference number
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)

©
ISO/IEC 2010
©
IEEE 2010

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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction.vi
1 Scope.1
1.1 Relationship of the print and internet-accessible versions.1
1.2 Vocabulary structure.1
1.3 PMI Glossary provisions.2
2 Conformance .2
3 Terms and definitions .2
Annex A (informative) List of Source Standards .404
Annex B (informative) List of References.409
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
List of Figures
Page
Figure 1 — Activity. 9
Figure 2 — Block Diagram. 35
Figure 3 — Box diagram. 38
Figure 4 — Bubble chart. 39
Figure 5 — Call graph. 42
Figure 6 — Case construct . 45
Figure 7 — Categorization of software . 46
Figure 8 — Data flow diagram . 90
Figure 9 — Data structure diagram . 92
Figure 10 — Directed graph . 110
Figure 11 — Documentation tree. 113
Figure 12 — Flowchart. 145
Figure 13 — Graph . 158
Figure 14 — If-then-else construct . 168
Figure 15 — Input-process-output chart. 178
Figure 16 — Modification request. 222
Figure 17 — Structure chart . 349
Figure 18 — UNTIL. 387
Figure 19 — Web site . 399
Figure 20 — WHILE. 400

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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(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.
IEEE Standards documents are developed within the IEEE Societies and the Standards Coordinating
Committees of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board. The IEEE develops its standards
through a consensus development process, approved by the American National Standards Institute, which
brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve the final product. Volunteers
are not necessarily members of the Institute and serve without compensation. While the IEEE administers the
process and establishes rules to promote fairness in the consensus development process, the IEEE does not
independently evaluate, test, or verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in its standards.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of ISO/IEC JTC 1 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 called to the possibility that implementation of this standard may require the use of subject matter
covered by patent rights. By publication of this standard, no position is taken with respect to the existence or
validity of any patent rights in connection therewith. ISO/IEEE is not responsible for identifying essential
patents or patent claims for which a license may be required, for conducting inquiries into the legal validity or
scope of patents or patent claims or determining whether any licensing terms or conditions provided in
connection with submission of a Letter of Assurance or a Patent Statement and Licensing Declaration Form, if
any, or in any licensing agreements are reasonable or non-discriminatory. Users of this standard are expressly
advised that determination of the validity of any patent rights, and the risk of infringement of such rights, is
entirely their own responsibility. Further information may be obtained from ISO or the IEEE Standards
Association.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 7, Software and systems engineering, in cooperation with the Software & Systems
Engineering Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society of the IEEE, under the Partner Standards
Development Organization cooperation agreement between ISO and IEEE.
Certain material contained in ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765 is reproduced, with permission, from A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) Guide — Fourth Edition, copyright 2008, Project Management
Institute.
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
Introduction
The systems and software engineering disciplines are continuing to mature while information technology
advances. New terms are being generated and new meanings are being adopted for existing terms. This
International Standard was prepared to collect and standardize terminology. Its purpose is to identify terms
currently in use in the field and standard definitions for these terms. It is intended to serve as a useful
reference for those in the Information Technology field, and to encourage the use of systems and software
engineering standards prepared by ISO and liaison organizations IEEE Computer Society and Project
Management Institute (PMI). It provides definitions that are rigorous, uncomplicated, and understandable by
all concerned.
While it is useful to find the meaning of a term, no word stands in isolation. This International Standard makes
it possible to search for related concepts and to view how a term is used in definitions of other terms.
Every effort has been made to use definitions from established systems and software engineering standards
of ISO JTC 1/SC 7 and its liaison organizations IEEE Computer Society and the PMI. When existing
standards were found to be incomplete, unclear or inconsistent with other entries in the vocabulary, however,
new, revised, or composite definitions have been developed. Some definitions have been recast in a systems,
rather than software, context.
This International Standard replaces IEEE Std 610.12-1990, IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering
Terminology, which was contributed by the IEEE as a source document. The approach and lexical exactitude
of IEEE Std 610.12-1990 served as a model for this International Standard. Nevertheless, approximately two-
thirds of the definitions in this International Standard are new since IEEE Std 610.12 was last updated in 1990,
a reflection of the continued evolution in the field.
The vocabulary is offered in both print and internet-accessible versions for ease of reference.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)

Systems and software engineering — Vocabulary
1 Scope
Consistent with ISO vocabulary standards, each technical committee is responsible for standard terminology
in its area of specialization. This International Standard provides a common vocabulary applicable to all
systems and software engineering work falling within the scope of ISO JTC 1/SC 7.
The scope of each concept defined has been chosen to provide a definition that is suitable for general
application. In those circumstances where a restricted application is concerned, a more specific definition
might be needed.
Terms have been excluded if they were
• considered to be parochial to one group or organization;
• company proprietary or trademarked;
• multi-word terms whose meaning could be inferred from the definitions of the component words;
• terms whose meaning in the information technology (IT) field could be directly inferred from their common
English meaning.
1.1 Relationship of the print and internet-accessible versions
The primary tool for maintaining this vocabulary is a database that is modified in a controlled fashion. Hosted
by the IEEE Computer Society, the SEVOCAB (systems and software engineering vocabulary) database is
publicly accessible at www.computer.org/sevocab. ISO/IEC 24765 is issued periodically as a formal,
published International Standard reflecting a "snapshot" of the database.
The copyright notice provided with the database permits users to copy definitions from the database as long
as the source of the definition is cited. Permitting public use of the definitions in the database is intended to
encourage the use of other ISO/IEC JTC 1 and IEEE systems and software engineering standards.
1.2 Vocabulary structure
Entries in the vocabulary are arranged alphabetically. Blanks precede all other characters in alphabetizing.
Hyphens and slashes (- and /) follow all other characters in alphabetizing.
An entry can consist of a single word, such as "software"; a phrase, such as "test case"; or an acronym, such
as "CDR". Phrases are given in their natural order (test plan) rather than in reversed order (plan, test).
Acronyms can be listed separately as well as in parentheses following the source term. Terms that are verbs
are shown without the infinitive marker "to".
After each term, numbered definitions are listed in order of preference, or from the most general to the more
specific usages. The different definitions can show the use of a term as a noun, verb and adjective.
This International Standard includes references to the active source standards for each definition, so that the
use of the term can be further explored. The sources of most of the definitions are ISO JTC 1/SC 7 or IEEE
Computer Society standards and the PMI Glossary, Fourth Edition. Sources are listed in Annex A. In some
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
cases, the same definition can also be found in other active or withdrawn standards. No source is shown if the
original source standard has been withdrawn or archived and the definition has been retained in this
vocabulary.
Notes (comments), Examples, and illustrations taken from the source standards have been included to clarify
selected definitions.
The following cross-references are used to show a term's relationship to other terms in the dictionary.
• Syn refers to a synonym: a term with the same meaning. Synonyms are listed under the preferred term
and can be located by searching.
• cf. refers to related terms that are not synonyms.
1.3 PMI Glossary provisions
The Project Management Institute (PMI) Glossary definitions have been included without alteration in
accordance with the copyright agreement. Many of these definitions include explanatory material. For other
terms and other definitions that have ISO/IEC and IEEE standards as their source, explanatory matter is
shown in the Notes and Examples.
Many of the definitions from the PMI Glossary begin with a word or phrase in brackets, such as [Process],
[Output/Input], [Technique]. These bracketed entries refer to the schema of the Project Management Institute,
1)
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fourth Edition, which provides
further explanation.
2 Conformance
The definitions in this International Standard are drawn from normative standards and informative guidance
documents, including ISO Technical Reports (TR). This International Standard may be used as a normative
document for projects and organizations claiming conformance to the normative source standards. Where
terms have multiple definitions, users should consult the source standards for further information on
appropriate usage within a specific context. Annex B lists other references.
Terms, definitions, and notes use spelling preferred in the USA. The use of capital letters has been minimized
and generally limited to proper names and acronyms. In some cases the source standard uses another
correct spelling (such as behaviour rather than behavior, on-line rather than online). Other correct spellings
and capitalization of the terms, according to a national standard, an authoritative general dictionary or
accepted style guide may be used with the definitions.
3 Terms and definitions
3.1
language
1. definitions of concepts and rules for the specification of an ODP system from the viewpoint.
ISO/IEC 10746-3:1996 Information technology — Open Distributed Processing — Reference Model:
Architecture.4.2.1.1
NOTE Thus, engineering language is defined as "definitions of concepts and rules for the specification of an ODP
system from the engineering viewpoint".

1) PMBOK is a trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. which is registered in the United States and other
nations.
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
3.2
federation
1. a community of domains. ISO/IEC 10746-3:1996, Information technology — Open Distributed
Processing — Reference Model: Architecture.5.1.2
3.3
interceptor
1. an engineering object in a channel, placed at a boundary between domains. ISO/IEC 10746-3:1996,
Information technology — Open Distributed Processing — Reference Model: Architecture.8.1.11
NOTE An interceptor performs checks to enforce or monitor policies on permitted interactions between basic
engineering objects in different domains; performs transformations to mask differences in interpretation of data by basic
engineering objects in different domains. An inter-subnetwork relay is an example of an interceptor.
3.4
1GL
1. first-generation language
cf. machine language
3.5
2GL
1. second-generation language
cf. assembly language
3.6
3GL
1. third-generation language
cf. high order language
3.7
4GL
1. fourth-generation language
3.8
5GL
1. fifth-generation language
3.9
A-0 context diagram
1. the only context diagram that is a required for a valid IDEF0 model, the A-0 diagram contains one box,
which represents the top-level function being modeled, the inputs, controls, outputs, and mechanisms
attached to this box, the full model name, the model name abbreviation, the model's purpose statement, and
the model's viewpoint statement. IEEE Std 1320.1-1998 (R2004) IEEE Standard for Functional Modeling
Language — Syntax and Semantics for IDEF0
3.10
A4, A5
1. International Standard paper sizes. ISO/IEC 15910:1999, Information technology — Software user
documentation process.4.1
NOTE A4 is 210 mm by 297 mm and A5 is 148 mm by 210 mm; see ISO 216:2007.
3.11
abend
1. abbreviation for abnormal end
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3.12
abnormal end (abend)
1. termination of a process prior to completion
cf. abort, exception
3.13
abort
1. to terminate a process prior to completion
cf. abnormal end (abend), exception
3.14
absolute address
1. an address that is permanently assigned to a device or storage location and that identifies the device or
location without the need for translation or calculation. Syn: explicit address, specific address
cf. relative address, relocatable address, symbolic address, absolute assembler, absolute code, absolute
instruction
3.15
absolute assembler
1. an assembler that produces absolute code
cf. relocating assembler
3.16
absolute code
1. code in which all addresses are absolute addresses. Syn: specific code
cf. relocatable code
3.17
absolute instruction
1. a computer instruction in which all addresses are absolute addresses
cf. direct instruction, effective instruction, immediate instruction, indirect instruction
3.18
absolute loader
1. a loader that reads absolute machine code into main memory, beginning at the initial address assigned to
the code by the assembler or compiler, and performs no address adjustments on the code
cf. relocating loader
3.19
abstract class
1. a class that cannot be instantiated independently. IEEE Std 1320.2-1998 (R2004) IEEE Standard for
Conceptual Modeling Language Syntax and Semantics for IDEF1X97 (IDEFobject).3.1.1
NOTE That is, instantiation must be accomplished via a subclass. A class for which every instance must also be an
instance of a subclass in the cluster (a total cluster) is called an abstract class with respect to that cluster.
3.20
abstract data type
1. a data type for which only the properties of the data and the operations to be performed on the data are
specified, without concern for how the data will be represented or how the operations will be implemented
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3.21
abstract design
1. a generic form that needs specialization (further design work) to produce concrete designs. 2. design
aimed at producing designs
3.22
abstraction
1. a view of an object that focuses on the information relevant to a particular purpose and ignores the
remainder of the information. 2. the process of formulating a view
cf. data abstraction
3.23
acceptability
1. the exposure to loss (financial or otherwise) that an organization is willing to tolerate from a risk
NOTE Risk acceptability may apply to an individual risk or to a collection of risks, such as the totality of risks
confronting a project or enterprise. Acceptability may differ for different categories of risk and may depend on the cost of
treatment or other factors.
3.24
acceptable
1. meeting stakeholder expectations that can be shown to be reasonable or merited. ISO/IEC 38500:2008,
Corporate governance of information technology.1.3.1
3.25
acceptance criteria
1. the criteria that a system or component must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other
authorized entity. 2. those criteria, including performance requirements and essential conditions, which must
be met before project deliverables are accepted. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) — Fourth Edition
cf. requirement, test criteria
3.26
acceptance test
1. the test of a system or functional unit usually performed by the purchaser on his premises after installation
with the participation of the vendor to ensure that the contractual requirements are met. ISO/IEC
2382-20:1990, Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 20: System development.20.05.07.
cf. acceptance testing, validation testing
3.27
acceptance testing
1. testing conducted to determine whether a system satisfies its acceptance criteria and to enable the
customer to determine whether to accept the system. IEEE Std 829-2008 IEEE Standard for Software and
System Test Documentation.3.1.1. Syn: validation testing, acceptance test. 2. formal testing conducted to
enable a user, customer, or other authorized entity to determine whether to accept a system or component.
IEEE Std 829-2008 IEEE Standard for Software and System Test Documentation.3.1.1.
cf. validation testing, acceptance test
3.28
access
1. to obtain the use of a resource. ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993, Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 1:
Fundamental terms.01.01.04
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ISO/IEC/IEEE 24765:2010(E)
3.29
access facility
1. a set of service primitives that allow a stub objects to negotiate the abstract and transfer syntax to be used
for the operation data to be transmitted over the channel. ISO/IEC 14752:2000, Information technology —
Open Distributed Processing — Protocol support for computational interactions.3.3.1
3.30
access method
1. a technique to obtain the use of data, the use of storage in order to read or write data, or the use of an
input-output channel to transfer data. ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993, Information technology — Vocabulary — Part 1:
Fundamental terms.01.08.03
3.31
access routine
1. a routine that provides access to a data structure that is hidden, usually because it is a global variable or
used in an abstract data type
3.32
access transparency
1. a distribution transparency which masks differences in data representation and invocation mechanisms to
enable interworking between objects. ISO/IEC 10746-3:1996, Information technology — Open Distributed
Processing — Reference Model: Architecture.4.4.1.1
3.33
accessibility
1. usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities.
ISO/IEC 25062:2006, Software engineering — Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE) — Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability test reports.4.1; ISO/IEC 26514, Systems and
software engineering--requirements for designers and developers of user documentation.4.1
NOTE Although "accessibility" typically addresses users who have disabilities, the concept is not limited to disability
issues.
3.34
accident
1. an unplanned event or series of events that results in death, injury, illness, environmental damage, or
damage to or loss of equipment or property. IEEE Std 1228-1994 (R2002) IEEE Standard for Software Safety
Plans.3.1.1
3.35
accuracy
1. a qualitative assessment of correctness, or freedom from error. 2. a quantitative measure of the magnitude
of error
3.36
accuracy of measurement
1. the closeness of the agreement between the result of a measurement and the true value of the measurand.
ISO/IEC TR 14143-3:2003, Information technology — Software measurement — Functional size
measurement — Part 3: Verification of functional size measurement methods.3.1
NOTE Accuracy is a qualitative concept. The term precision should not be used for "accuracy". [ISO/IEC Guide
99:2007 International vocabulary of metrology — Basic and general concepts and associated terms] A true value is a
value consistent with the definition of a given particular quantity and this is a value that would be obtained by a perfect
measurement. In contexts where perfect measurement is not practically feasible, a conventional true value is a value
attributed to a particular quantity and accepted, sometimes by convention, as having an uncertainty appropriate for a given
purpose. 'Conventional true value', in the same reference, is sometimes called assigned value, best estimate of the value,
conventional value or reference value. The accuracy should be expressed in terms of the Mean magnitude of relative error.
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3.37
ACID
1. Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability. ISO/IEC 10746-1:1998, Information technology — Open
Distributed Processing — Reference model: Overview
3.38
acquire project team
1. [Process] the process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to
complete project assignments. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) —
Fourth Edition
3.39
acquirer
1. stakeholder that acquires or procures a product or service from a supplier. ISO/IEC 12207:2008
(IEEE Std 12207-2008), Systems and software engineering — Software life cycle processes.4.1. 2. the
individual or organization that specifies requirements for and accepts delivery of a new or modified software
product and its documentation. IEEE Std 1058-1998 IEEE Standard for Software Project Management
Plans.3.1; ISO/IEC 15288:2008 (IEEE Std 15288-2008), Systems and software engineering —
...