Overview
ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2:2025 - "Systems and software engineering - Life cycle profiles for very small entities (VSEs) - Part 5-1-2: Software engineering guidelines for the generic Basic profile" - provides practical management and engineering guidance for the software Basic profile defined in ISO/IEC 29110-4-1. Intended for very small entities (VSEs) (organizations, departments or projects with up to 25 people) that develop non–safety-critical software products by a single work team, this standard focuses on project management and software implementation activities for projects executed under internal or external agreements.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope & entry conditions: Applies to single-product projects developed by one team; excludes safety-critical software.
- Processes covered: Detailed guidance for the Project Management (PM) process and the Software Implementation (SI) process, including purposes, expected outcomes, roles, activities, tasks and incorporation of artefacts into a project repository.
- Roles and work products: Descriptions of PM and SI roles, required work products, and how to maintain project documentation consistent with the Basic profile.
- Tools: Guidance on tool use for PM and SI activities, including recommended tool types to support deliverables.
- Annexes (informative): Optional task sets and extensions for VSE needs:
- Annex A - Support process for product support/maintenance
- Annex B - Additional testing tasks
- Annex C - Accessibility tasks
- Annex D - Security additions for the Basic profile
- Annex E - Deployment package guidance
- Alignment with other standards: Uses subsets and terminology aligned with ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, 15288 and 15289; intended to be lightweight and VSE-friendly.
Practical applications - who uses this standard
- Small software companies, startups and micro firms (≤25 staff) that need a clear, low-overhead lifecycle model.
- Project managers, team leads and software engineers implementing repeatable PM and SI practices tailored to VSE constraints.
- Customers and procurers who need assurance that a VSE follows a recognized, auditable lifecycle approach.
- Assessors and certification bodies using ISO/IEC 29110 profiles for conformity assessment and recognition of VSE capability.
- Use cases: single-team product development, internal tools, commercial apps, non-safety-critical embedded software and service deliverables.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 29110 series (profiles and assessment guidance)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 (software life-cycle processes)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life-cycle processes)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 (life-cycle information products)
This standard helps VSEs adopt a practical, auditable software lifecycle with minimal overhead while aligning with international lifecycle and documentation practices. Keywords: ISO/IEC 29110, VSE, Basic profile, software engineering, project management, software implementation, small business software standard.