National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO/IEC/IEEE 21840:2019.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee IST/15, Software and systems engineering.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 December 2019.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

IEEE Standards documents are developed within the IEEE Societies and the Standards Coordinating Committees of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board. The IEEE develops its standards through a consensus development process, approved by the American National Standards Institute, which brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve the final product. Volunteers are not necessarily members of the Institute and serve without compensation. While the IEEE administers the process and establishes rules to promote fairness in the consensus development process, the IEEE does not independently evaluate, test, or verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in its standards.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC list of patent declarations received (see http://patents.iec.ch).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 7, Systems and software engineering, in cooperation with the Systems and Software Engineering Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society, under the Partner Standards Development Organization cooperation agreement between ISO and IEEE.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

Application of systems engineering to systems of systems has become increasingly important for the realization and sustainability of large and persistent sociotechnical systems in domains as varied as healthcare, transportation, energy, and defense, and contexts such as corporations, cities, and government. This has been intensified in the last fifteen years by the pervasiveness of information technology (IT), illustrated by new technologies and paradigms such as Sensor Networks, Cloud Computing, the Internet of Things, Big Data, Smart Devices and Ambient Intelligence. It is, for instance, the application of these technologies to cities that transform them into smarter cities.

This document provides guidance for the utilization of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 in the context of SoS. While ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 applies to systems in general (including constituent systems), this document provides guidance on the application of these processes to the special case of SoS. However, ISO/IEC/IEEE 21840 is not a self-contained SoS replacement for ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288. This document is intended to be used in conjunction with ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, ISO/IEC/IEEE 21839 and ISO/IEC/IEEE 21841 and is not intended to be used without them.

For example, ISO/IEC/IEEE 21841 provides a taxonomy for SoS, providing specific viewpoints that align with stakeholder concerns. Using a taxonomy in conjunction with this document facilitates better communications among the various stakeholders that are involved in activities like governance, engineering, operation, and management of these SoS. However, this document does not require the use of any specific taxa in ISO/IEC/IEEE 21841.

1 Scope

This document provides guidance on the application of processes in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to systems of systems (SoS). The scope of this document is the same as ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, which addresses more than systems engineering activities.

NOTE 1 Throughout the document, there is mixed use of "system of systems" and "systems of systems". "SoS" could refer to a system of systems or systems of systems. Similarly, "CS" could refer to a constituent system or constituent systems.

This document provides general guidance for each ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 process and process outcome in the context of SoS, but it does not address specific activities, tasks, methods, or procedures. Additional processes and process outcomes unique to SoS can still be needed and are not covered by this document.

This document explores the similarities and differences between systems and SoS and, by extension, the similarities and differences between engineering of systems and SoS. The guidance contained in this document is expected to evolve as the discipline matures.

NOTE 2 In many cases, this document notes that ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 processes or process outcomes “… applies as stated to SoS.” Some interpretation within the context of SoS can still be needed.

2 Normative References

3 Terms, definitions, and abbreviated terms

3.1 Terms and definitions

3.2 Abbreviated terms

4 Relationship to other standards

5 Key concepts and application

5.1 Differences between systems and SoS

5.2 Managerial and operational independence

6 Application of system life cycle processes to SoS

6.1 Agreement processes

6.2 Organizational project-enabling processes

6.3 Technical management processes

6.4 Technical processes

Bibliography

BS ISO/IEC/IEEE 21840:2019

Systems and software engineering. Guidelines for the utilization of ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 in the context of system of systems (SoS)

Current, Under Review

Published:

31 Dec 2019