DCMA INSTRUCTIONS (Guidebook): CHAPTER 10 - Software Standards

IEEE and EIA Software Standards

There are two accredited organizations collaborating with DoD on the creation of lifecycle standards for use in the United States. These organizations are Electronics Industries Association (EIA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

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Resulting products from the EIA and IEEE:

1. IEEE/EIA 12207: This is the strategic standard that addresses the three primary objectives described in the previous paragraph. This document is the United States version of the international standard ISO/IEC 12207 which provides a basis for organizational-wide adoption of software processes suitable for commercial and defense projects that serve both domestic and international customers;

2. EIA/IEEE J-STD16: This is the tactical standard that provides a continuing reference for organizations that have invested in software processes created under prior military standards.

EIA/IEEE J-STD-016

J-STD-016 is the “demilitarized” version of Mil-STD-498 and the J-STD-016 exist as a single document and this document was considered the interim or “bridged” document to Mil-STD-498.It was intended that J-STD-016 will fill the role for organizations that continue to use processes that are a legacy of older standards and this document will allow them to reference those processes. The J-STD-016was developed to be applied in the following circumstances:

1. Continuing projects that started under Mil-STD-498, DoD-2167A, etc;

2. Enterprises that have put in place organizational processes based on Mil-STD-498, DoD-2167A, etc;

3. Projects that desire to continue using this structure.

IEEE/EIA 12207 – Software Life Cycle Process, (widely known as US 12207) was approved as a standard in the United States in 1998. This standard was adapted from ISO/IEC 12207 that provided a framework of software lifecycle processes suitable for use in:

1. Acquisition;

2. Supply;

3. Development;

4. Operations of Software;

5. Maintenance.

ISO/IEC 15504 is a 9-part international standard that provides a framework for the assessment of software processes.

ISO/IEC 15939 (Software Measurement Process). International standard that is currently being developed and that defines a software measurement process applicable to all software-related engineering and management disciplines. The software measurement process in this standard is described through a model that defines the activities of the measurement process, which are required to adequately specify what information is required. Additionally, it describes how the measures and analysis results are to be used and how to determine the validity of the analysis results within a project or organizational structure.