12.4 Life cycle processes | Implementing and Integrating Product Data Management and Software Configuration Management (Artech House Computing Library)

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For different engineering domains, there are different standards and models for different PLCs. Some of the standards address the life cycles of systems, and others address a particular domain (e.g., software). Life cycle standards are closely related to PDM and SCM, as PDM and SCM provide infrastructure and support for these processes.

12.4.1 ISO/IEC FDIS 15288 Systems Engineering—System Life Cycle Processes

This standard provides a common framework for covering the life cycle of a system. This life cycle span is from the conception of the system to its retirement.

The standard defines a set of processes and terminology. These processes can apply at any level in the hierarchy of a system structure. The standard also provides processes that support the definition, control, and improvement of the life cycle processes used in an organization or project.

The system life cycle processes are:

Agreement processes. The process specifies the requirements for the establishment of agreements with organizational entities, internal and external to the organization.
Enterprise processes. This process manages the capability of the organization to acquire and supply products or services through the initiation, support, and control of the projects. They provide resources and infrastructure necessary to support projects.
Project processes. This process provides the establishment and evolution of project plans, to assess actual achievement and progress in relation to the plans and to control the execution of the project through fulfillment.
Technical processes. The process defines the requirements for a system to transform the requirements into an effective product, to permit consistent reproduction of the product where necessary, to use the product to provide the required services, to sustain the provision of those services, and to dispose of the product when it is retired from service.

This standard is related to ISO/IEC 12207 Information Technology— Software Life Cycle Processes—Amendment 1.

12.4.2 ISO 12207:1995 Software Life Cycle Processes

This standard covers the life cycle of software from conceptualization of ideas through retirement and consists of processes for acquiring and supplying software products and services. The standard may be adjusted for an individual organization, project, or application. It may also be used when software is a stand-alone entity or an embedded or integral part of the total system.

The standard categorizes all life cycle processes into three main groups: primary life cycle, supporting life cycle, and organizational life cycle.

The primary life cycle processes are defined in the standard as follows:

Acquisition process. The process begins with the initiation of the need to acquire a system. The process continues with the preparation and issue of a request for proposal, selection of a supplier, and management of the acquisition process through the acceptance of the system.
Supply process. The process may be initiated either by a decision to prepare a proposal to answer a request for a proposal or by signing and entering into a contract with a vendor to provide the system. The process continues with the determination of procedures and resources needed to manage and assure the project software product.
Development process. This process contains activities and tasks for the developer, such as requirement analysis, design, coding, integration, testing, and installation and acceptance.
Operation process. The process contains operator activities and tasks such as operation of the software product and operational support to users.
Maintenance process. This process contains activities and tasks for the maintainer. The process is started when the software product undergoes modifications due to a problem or the need for improvement or adaptation. The process includes migration and ends with the retirement of the software product.

To support the primary life cycle processes, there are eight different processes supporting life cycles. They are:

Documentation process. This process records information produced by a life cycle process or activity.
CM process. The process applies administrative and technical procedures to identify and define software items in a system; control modifications and releases of the items; record and report the status and modification requests; ensure the consistency, and correctness of the items; and control storage, handling, and delivery of the items.
Quality assurance process. This process provides assurance that the software products and processes in the PLC correspond to the specified requirements and the established plans.
Verification process. The process provides activities to determine whether the software products of an activity fulfill the requirements or conditions.
Validation process. This process provides activities to determine whether the requirements and the final as-built system or software product fulfill its specific intended use.
Joint review process. The process evaluates the status and products of an activity of a project. Joint reviews are held at both project management and technical levels.
Audit process. The process determines compliance with the requirements, plans, and contract.
Problem resolution process. The process analyzes and resolves any problems encountered during the execution of development, operation, maintenance, or other processes.

The standard also identifies organizational life cycle process. The activities and tasks in an organizational process are the responsibility of the organization using that process. The organizational processes are:

Management process. The manager is responsible for product management, project management, and task management for applicable processes such as supply, development, operation, maintenance, and supporting processes.
Infrastructure process. The purpose is to establish and maintain the infrastructure needed for any other process, including hardware, software, tools, techniques, standards, and facilities for development, operation, or maintenance.
Improvement process. The purpose is to establish, assess, measure, control, and improve a software life cycle process.
Training process. This process provides the required trained personnel.

Normative references are found in Table 12.5.

Table 12.5: References to Other Standards
ISO/AFNOR:1989	Dictionary of Computer Science
ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993	Information Technology—Vocabulary—Part 1: Fundamental Terms
ISO/IEC 2382-20:1990	Information Technology—Vocabulary—Part 20: System Development
ISO 8402:1994	Quality Management and Quality Assurance—Vocabulary
ISO 9001:1994	Quality Systems—Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation, and Servicing
ISO/IEC 9126:1991	Information Technology—Software Product Evaluation—Quality Characteristics and Guidelines for Their Use

12.4.3 ISO 9000-3:1997 Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards—Part 3

ISO 9000 Part 3 has a long title, Guidelines for the Application of ISO 9001:1994 to the Development, Supply, Installation and Maintenance of Computer Software. It provides guidance in applying the requirements of ISO 9001:1994, in which computer software design, development, installation, and maintenance are treated together as an element of a commercial contract entered into by a supplier, as a product available for a market sector or as software embedded in a hardware product.

The quality system requirements are:

Management responsibility. This is to define the quality policy of the organization and to identify and ensure the availability of the resources required to satisfy the quality requirements.
Quality system. This is to develop and describe a quality system and to implement procedures in accordance with the quality policy it describes.
Contract review. This is to develop and document procedures to coordinate the review of software development contracts.
Design control. This is to establish and maintain documented procedures to control and verify the design of the product to ensure the satisfaction of the specified requirements.
Document and data control. This is to develop procedures to control all documents and data relating to the requirements. CM procedures should be used to implement document and data control.
Purchasing. This is to develop and maintain procedures to ensure that purchased products conform to specified requirements. These procedures should control the selection of subcontractors, the use of purchasing data, and the verification of purchased products.
Control of customer-supplied product. This is to establish and maintain documented procedures for the control of verification, storage, and maintenance of customer-supplied products.
Product identification and traceability. This is to develop a procedure for identifying the product during its life cycle. A CM system may provide this capability.
Process control. This is to identify and plan the production, installation, and servicing processes that directly affect quality and ensure that these processes are executed under controlled conditions.
Inspection and testing. This is to develop procedures for inspection and testing activities to verify the satisfaction of the product requirements specified. If third-party products are to be included, procedures shall be developed for the verification of such products in accordance with the requirements of the contract.
Control of inspection, measuring, and test equipment. This is to develop procedures for the control, calibration, and maintenance of inspection, measuring, and testing equipment.
Control of nonconforming products. This is to develop procedures to prevent the inappropriate use of nonconforming products.
Corrective and preventive action. This is to develop procedures for implementing corrective and preventive action.
Handling, storage, packaging, preservation, and delivery. This is to develop and document procedures for the handling, storage, packaging, preservation, and delivery of the products of the organization. In addition, this is to develop product handling methods and procedures that prevent product damage or deterioration and to designate secure areas in which to store and protect the products.
Control of quality records. This is to identify and define the quality information to be collected. It is also to develop a quality record-keeping system and develop procedures for its maintenance and control.
Internal quality audits. This is to develop internal quality audit procedures that determine whether quality activities and results comply with documented quality plans, procedures, and programs, to evaluate the performance of the quality system, and to verify the effectiveness of corrective actions.
Training. This is to develop quality-training procedures.
Servicing. This is to establish and maintain procedures for performing servicing procedures and verifying and reporting that the servicing meets the specified requirements.
Statistical techniques. This is to select the statistical techniques to be used to establish, control, and verify process capabilities and product characteristics.

From this comprehensive list, we can see that many quality requirements need systematic support for documentation, version management, CM, and requirements management (i.e., just the support provided by PDM and SCM tools).

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