Overview
ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-2:2024 - Systems and software engineering - Life cycle management - Part 2: Guidelines for the application of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life cycle processes) - is a guidance standard for applying the system life cycle processes defined in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288. The second edition updates and expands the 2018 guidance without changing scope, helping organizations and projects implement life‑cycle, organizational, project and process concepts. It focuses on practical application from strategy and planning through institutionalization, and includes a comparison between ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023 and the prior 2015 version.
Key topics and technical guidance
- Application strategy and planning: guidance on planning adoption, running pilot projects, formalizing and institutionalizing life‑cycle processes.
- System concepts and structure: advice on defining systems, system structure, and how structures map to projects.
- Interfacing, enabling and interoperating systems: reworked guidance and an informative Annex B example to manage system interactions.
- Life‑cycle concepts and decision gates: practical treatment of life‑cycle stages, decision gates and application approaches across projects.
- Organizational and project application: how to use ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 within organizations, including management commitment, methods, tools and considerations for adoption.
- Process application: detailed guidance on applying agreement processes, organizational project‑enabling processes, technical management processes and technical processes per ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288.
- Conformance and adaptation: principles for conforming to and adapting 15288 processes to organizational needs.
- Contemporary practices: added considerations for agile and DevOps approaches and an informative Annex C on model‑based systems and software engineering (MBSSE).
- Change summary: Annex A summarizes typical revisions from ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2015 to the 2023 revision.
Practical applications - who uses it
- Systems engineers and architects seeking practical guidance to apply ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 in product development.
- Program and project managers implementing life‑cycle governance, decision gates and project processes.
- Process improvement, quality and configuration managers aligning organizational processes with international life‑cycle best practices.
- Acquirers and suppliers aiming to harmonize contractual and technical processes for system acquisition and delivery.
- Organizations adopting MBSSE, agile/DevOps practices, or integrating systems and software life‑cycle management.
Related standards and alignment
- Directly supports and complements ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 (system life cycle processes) and aligns with ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-1 (life‑cycle management concepts).
- Companion guidance: ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-3 (application of ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 for software life cycle processes).
- For defence‑specific systems engineering see ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-7.
Keywords: ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748-2:2024, life cycle management, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, systems engineering, system life cycle processes, model‑based systems engineering, agile, DevOps, process adaptation.