ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide independent organization that provides a variety of standards in order to promote quality, safety, efficiency, and interoperability in products, services and systems in different sectors including software industry. ISO standards have been developed and are widely used across the globe and help organizations achieve certain objectives and observe the best practices in their operations.

Key Roles and Functions of ISO

Development of International Standards: ISO’s main function is to establish and promulgate standards which are set to facilitate uniformity, efficiency and quality with regards to various industries. These standards are developed by using the consensus approach and this is done by identifying specialists from different countries and branches of economy.

Global Standardization: ISO has thus helped in the establishment of the much needed internationally acceptable standard that would enable international trade and cooperation through the assurance of the compatibility o… This standardization is quite critical in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and even environmental management.

Promoting Innovation and Best Practices: Like mentioned earlier, ISO standards are also made with the help of the most advanced technology and the industry practices today.These standards make it possible for the organizations to remain innovative while at the same time making certain that their process are efficient and effective.

Certification and Compliance: Although ISO itself does not issue certificates to organizations , most of the ISO standards are used by the third party certification bodies. This means that organizations that meet these standards can be ISO certified, thus showing their concern in the quality and development. This certification is usually compulsory in sectors that address issues to do with compliance and the clients’ trust.

ISO in Software Development

ISO is a major world body in the provision of standards and guidelines for software development, quality assurance and control, information security and project management. Some of the key ISO standards relevant to software development include:

• ‍ISO/IEC 12207 (Software Life Cycle Processes): This standard defines the guideline for the activities that take place during the development and the ongoing management of software. It includes all the phases of the software development process, including the planning phase, the development phase, the testing phase, the deployment phase and the maintenance phase. This provides a framework that organisations can follow in order to create a Software Development Life Cycle which will guarantee that there is proper management of software projects as well as quality and consistency.
• ‍ISO/IEC 25010 (Systems and Software Quality Models): In the paper ISO/IEC 25010 is used to define a set of quality characteristics for software products and systems. Some of the aspects of the technical quality include functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. Through this standard, there is a complete framework to use in evaluating the quality of software as well as the steps that developers and testers should follow in the creation of software products.
• ‍ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management): This standard shows the conditions that organizations need to follow in order to establish, implement, maintain and continually improve the ISMS. This is especially so for software development companies dealing with private information and require security of their systems.
• ‍ISO/IEC 29119 (Software Testing): Standards that have been developed to address software testing at the international level and include concepts, vocabulary, processes, documentation and techniques. This standard enables organizations to have proper testing practices that will enable software to be tested to the required standard.
• ‍ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems): Although it is not a standard for software development, ISO 9001 is a popular standard for the quality management system. It gives a direction on how quality could be maintained in products and services hence also applicable in software production. ISO 9001 is implemented by many software development companies to enhance their quality of processes and to prove the quality policy.

Importance of ISO Standards

Consistency and Quality: ISO standards help companies to adhere to the best practices hence delivering standard and quality products and services. In the software development this translates to creating quality, secure and efficient software that addresses the user needs.

Global Recognition: ISO standards are in fact global standards and are quite valued by many countries. Adherence to these standards can only be beneficial for an organization and may facilitate the process of entering the international markets and cooperating with foreign partners.

Risk Management: ISO standards help organizations to minimize on risk since the organizations are able to know the risks that are likely to occur. For instance, ISO 27001 assists in protecting information assets in organizations against threats while ISO 9001 assists in managing risks that are quality related.

Customer Trust: ISO certification is a standard which is used in many organization as a symbol of excellence. ISO certification of an organization shows the firm’s commitment to the improvement of the standards, thus improving customer confidence and satisfaction.

Regulatory Compliance: ISO standards are significant since various markets are bound by legal or compulsory regulations to implementing the said standards. Adopting the ISO standards enable organizations achieve these legal requirements and avert penalties or legal challenges.

How ISO Standards are Developed

Proposal Stage: New standard or a modification to an existing standard can be initiated by any member body or a technical committee. The proposal is then evaluated and if accepted a team of professionals is assembled to come up with the draft standard.

Drafting Stage: Working group prepares the standard which should contain recommendations of members of industries, other interested individuals and result of consultations. That is why the draft standard is subjected to several rounds of amendments and feedback to accommodate for all the stakeholders.

Approval Stage: When this is done, the drafted is then put for voting by the member bodies of ISO. If it gets the required endorsement it is issued as an ISO standard.

Maintenance and Review: ISO standards undergo revisions from time to time to meet the new technological advancements, business trends and other related requirements of the society. This also ensures that the ISO standards are up to date and as such are still useful in today’s world.

Conclusion

Consequently, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international body whose main function is to establish and disseminate standards in different fields such as software development. ISO standards are the guidelines that help to achieve the quality, safety, effectiveness and compatibility. In the field of software development ISO standards like ISO/IEC 12207, ISO/IEC 25010 and ISO/IEC 27001 are very helpful in framing the practices, enhancing the software quality and protecting the information. Implementing ISO standards in an organization and ensuring that the organization follows them can help in improving the processes of the organization, give it international credibility and improve the confidence of clients and other stakeholders.