Deploying a software process lifecycle standard in very small companies

In the case of very small software companies, imple- menting management procedures, and controls to appropriately administer their software development activity is a significant challenge. With this in mind, the ISO/IEC standards body has recently published the ISO/IEC 29110 standard “Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities” with the overall objective being to as- sist and encourage very small software organization in assessing and improving their software. The purpose of this article is provide a primer on the ISO/IEC 29110 standard focusing on two main process areas of Project Management and Software Implementation. This ar- ticle will start with an explanation of the rationale and justification for the development of this new standard, followed by an overview of its structure and explain how to deploy ISO/IEC 29110 in a typical very small software company. In recent times quality orientated process approach- es and standards have matured and gained acceptance in many software development organizations. Standards emphasize communication and shared understanding more than anything. There are many potential benefits of using standards. In particular for small and very small companies, the benefits that certification can provide include: increased competitiveness, greater customer confidence and satisfaction, greater software product quality, increased sponsorship for process improvement, decreased development risk, facilitation of marketing, and higher potential to export. While good internal software management might help meet the first five claims; the last two can only be the benefits of using a widely recognized standard