BS EN IEC 62960:2020

What is BS EN IEC 62960 about?  

BS EN IEC 62960 provides guidance on a review methodology for dependability from a technical perspective that is applicable at all stages of a system life cycle. Its application can improve the dependability of a system throughout its life cycle by triggering appropriate actions at appropriate times to address potential dependability problems. 

BS EN IEC 62960 provides guidance for developers, manufacturers, users and third-party independent reviewers such as consulting organizations. 

BS EN IEC 62960 describes a dependability review methodology focusing on: 

• Coherence of review activities across life cycle stages and their impact on dependability 
• Stakeholder identification and how this affects dependability review activities 
• The relationships between different types of reviews 
• Procedures for effective dependability reviews 
• Examples of dependability review activities 

Who is BS EN IEC 62960 for? 

BS EN IEC 62960 on dependability reviews during the life cycle is useful for: 

• Developers  
• Manufacturers  
• Third-party independent reviewers  
• Consulting organizations 

Why should you use BS EN IEC 62960?  

Dependability is the ability to perform as and when required. Dependability has many attributes but is usually characterized in terms of reliability, maintainability, supportability (including maintenance and support) and availability. These attributes are subject to change over the life cycle and can benefit from regular review. 

Benefits of dependability review throughout the life cycle include: 

• Discovering and mitigating or eliminating weaknesses in the early life cycle stages before they manifest as dependability problems in later stages 
• Identifying and treating problems which might occur later in the life cycle, and providing feedback to prevent their recurrence and to adapt systems to changes in environment and other factors 
• Providing assurance of dependability and of the systems and processes that aim to achieve dependability 
• Continually improving the dependability of the system in order to maintain or improve a commercial advantage 

BS EN IEC 62960 provides guidance on dependability reviews as part of an organization’s technical review processes. 

BS EN IEC 62960 gives a coherent set of principles for dependability reviews which could be useful in addition to, and in support of, general monitoring and dependability assurance carried out by various organizations at different life cycle stages. 

In many cases dependability aspects of a system are covered in other reviews such as design reviews or manufacturability reviews. In these cases, the procedures given in BS EN IEC 62960 can be applied.