ISO/IEC/IEEE 24748 provides unified and consolidated guidance on the life cycle management of systems and software. This document focuses on the processes required for successful planning and management of the project's software development effort and for development of the software development plan (SDP) as a vehicle for representing a project's application of software life cycle processes. The SDP is a top level technical planning document for a project which addresses technical management processes established by three principal sources (the project s contract, applicable organizational and technical management processes, and the software development project team) as necessary to successfully accomplish the software development related tasks of the project.

This document provides a common framework for planning and controlling the technical processes and activities to produce and sustain software products. The complete life cycle is covered by this document, from idea conception to the retirement of a software product. The framework described by this document provides for best practices in communication and cooperation among parties that plan for, develop, utilize, and manage modern software.