ISO IEC 26563-2022 PDF

Full title and description

ISO/IEC 26563:2022 — Software and systems engineering — Methods and tools for product line configuration management. This international standard defines processes, method capabilities and tool capabilities needed to perform configuration management across a family of related products (a software and systems product line), addressing commonality and variability rather than single-system configuration management.

Abstract

Within the context of product line engineering, the standard specifies (1) processes for product-line configuration management described by purpose, inputs, tasks and outcomes; (2) method capabilities needed to carry out those tasks; and (3) tool capabilities that automate or semi-automate tasks and methods. It is explicitly focused on configuration management for a family of products (product line) rather than on configuration management for a single system.

General information

• Status: Published
• Publication date: 12 December 2022
• Publisher: ISO/IEC (joint International Standard developed under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7)
• ICS / categories: 35.080 (Software)
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2022-12)
• Number of pages: 34

Core bibliographic and lifecycle data above are taken from the ISO catalogue entry and published edition.

Scope

The standard applies to methods and tools that support the configuration management capability within software and systems product line engineering. It covers identification and selection of product-line configuration items, baselining across time and space, status accounting, reporting, change-control processes that account for commonality and variability, traceability management, quality assurance for product-line CM, and technical management and operationalization of product-line CM activities. It is intended for organizations adopting or operating a software/systems product line and for developers or evaluators of CM methods and tools tailored to product-line contexts.

Key topics and requirements

• Reference model for product-line configuration management (constituents, overview, structure).
• Processes for product-line CM described by purpose, inputs, tasks and outcomes.
• Method capabilities to support each process task (planning, enabling, managing, operationalization).
• Tool capabilities: automation/semi-automation requirements for CM tasks in a product-line environment.
• Configuration item identification, handling of commonality and variability, unique identifiers for traceability.
• Baselining in time and space; distributed configuration management and baseline availability.
• Status accounting, reporting and capture of configuration delta and anomalies.
• Change control tailored to evaluate and coordinate impacts on commonality and variability.
• Traceability management: bi-directional traceability and integrated traceability for PL configuration and deltas.
• Quality assurance, objective evaluation of PL CM activities and work products; roles and lifecycle responsibilities (informative annex on roles).

The list above follows the clause and subclause structure and requirements outlined in the published standard.

Typical use and users

Primary users include product-line engineering teams, configuration managers, systems and software engineers working with product families, tool vendors building CM support for product lines, project and program managers planning PL CM activities, and assessors/evaluators selecting or auditing PL CM methods and tools. The standard is used to guide selection, implementation and evaluation of CM processes and supporting tool capabilities in organizations producing multiple related products.

Related standards

Standards commonly used alongside or related to ISO/IEC 26563 include ISO 10007 (Guidelines for configuration management), ISO/IEC 12207 (software life‑cycle processes) and systems/software lifecycle standards such as ISO/IEC 15288; earlier guidance on CM tool capabilities is provided in ISO/IEC TR 18018. These documents are complementary for lifecycle, process and configuration-management practices and for specifying tool expectations.

Keywords

product line, product-line configuration management, PL CM, configuration management, baselining, traceability, commonality, variability, CM tools, CM methods, software product line, systems engineering.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 26563:2022 is an international standard that defines methods and tool capability requirements for configuration management applied to software and systems product lines (families of related products).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers processes (purpose, inputs, tasks, outcomes), required method capabilities, and tool capabilities to support product-line CM activities such as identification of configuration items, baselining across time/space, status accounting, reporting, change control considering commonality/variability, traceability, and associated quality assurance.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Product-line engineering teams, configuration managers, systems/software engineers working with product families, tool developers and evaluators, and program/project managers responsible for CM of multiple related products.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO/IEC 26563:2022 was published in December 2022 (first edition) and is the current published international standard for product-line configuration management as of its publication. Users should check the ISO catalogue or national body for any amendments or reviews after publication.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is a JTC 1/SC 7 deliverable and complements other ISO/IEC software and systems engineering standards (for example lifecycle/process standards and configuration-management guidance). It is not a numbered series like ISO/IEC 265xx with multiple sequenced parts, but it sits in the broader SC 7 family of standards addressing software and systems engineering.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Product line, configuration management, baselining, traceability, commonality, variability, CM tools, CM methods, product-line engineering.