The purpose of this document is to facilitate the joint usage of the process content of the latest revisions of both ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207, by providing unified and consolidated guidance on life cycle management of systems and software. This is to help ensure consistency in system concepts and life cycle concepts, models, stages, processes, process application, key points of view, adaptation and use in various domains as the two International Standards are used in combination. That will in turn help a project team design a life cycle model for managing the progress of their project. Hence, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 are the documents that apply the concepts found in this document to specific processes.

This document provides guidelines for the life cycle management of systems and software, complementing the processes described in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207. This document: - addresses systems concepts and life cycle concepts, models, stages, processes, process application, key points of view, adaptation and use in various domains and by various disciplines; - establishes a common framework for describing life cycles, including their individual stages, for the management of projects to provide, or acquire either products or services; - defines the concept and terminology of a life cycle; - supports the use of the life cycle processes within an organization or a project. Organizations and projects can use these life cycle concepts when acquiring and supplying either products or services; - provides guidance on adapting a life cycle model and the content associated with a life cycle or a part of a life cycle; - describes the relationship between life cycles and their use i...