ISO/IEC 15288

The ISO/IEC 15288 is a technical standard in systems engineering which covers processes and lifecycle stages, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Planning for the ISO/IEC 15288:2002(E) standard started in 1994 when the need for a common systems engineering process framework was recognized. The previously accepted standard MIL STD 499A (1974) was cancelled after a memo from the United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) prohibited the use of most U.S. Military Standards without a waiver. The first edition was issued on 1 November 2002. Stuart Arnold was the editor and Harold Lawson was the architect of the standard. In 2004 this standard was adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as IEEE 15288. ISO/IEC 15288 has been updated 1 February 2008 as well as on 15 May 2015.
ISO/IEC 15288 is managed by ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7, which is the ISO committee responsible for developing ISO standards in the area of Software and Systems Engineering. ISO/IEC 15288 is part of the SC 7 Integrated set of Standards, and other standards in this domain include:
Processes.
The standard defines processes divided into four categories:
Each process is defined by a purpose, outcomes, and activities. ISO 15288 comprises 25 processes which have 123 outcomes derived from 403 activities.
Example life cycle stages described in the document are: concept, development, production, utilisation, support, and retirement. However, these stages are not normative; the standard defines processes, not stages.