Software Standards and Norms
This post is a glossary entry on software standards and norms – complete with exam-relevant examples, key takeaways, and tags for quick revision.
What are norms and standards (in IT)?
Norms and standards define binding or widely accepted rules, terminology, quality criteria, and processes. In software development, they help you:
- Make quality measurable
- Implement security requirements in a transparent, traceable way
- Structure processes and responsibilities
- Standardize communication (terminology, models, deliverables)
Key norms (quick reference)
ISO/IEC 25010 (Software and systems quality)
Defines a quality model for software and systems—covering functionality, reliability, usability, performance efficiency, maintainability, compatibility, security, and portability. Particularly useful when you need to justify quality objectives clearly in your project report.
ISO/IEC 27001 (Information security management)
A framework for an ISMS (Information Security Management System). Relevant when you’re structuring security processes, risk analyses, or control strategies.
DIN EN ISO 9241 (Usability / human–system interaction)
Highly exam-relevant if you’re designing user interfaces. Key principles include dialogue design criteria such as conformance with user expectations, controllability, and error tolerance.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 (Software lifecycle processes)
Describes processes across the full lifecycle: planning, development, operation, and maintenance.
GDPR / BDSG (legal framework)
Not a norm, but practically always relevant: data protection, privacy by design, technical and organizational measures (TOM), data processing agreements (DPA).
Key points for exams
- Standards are rarely asked for by number alone—what matters is understanding the concept behind them.
- A strong answer in your technical discussion might sound like:
- “We base our quality objective for maintainability on the model defined in ISO/IEC 25010.”
- “Security measures are structured according to an ISMS following ISO/IEC 27001.”
- “The UI implements core usability principles from ISO 9241.”
Mini-example: referencing standards meaningfully in a project
If you’re building a web application, you might document it like this:
- Quality objectives: ISO/IEC 25010 (maintainability, security)
- UX objectives: ISO 9241 (dialogue principles)
- Data protection: GDPR (TOM, data minimization)
Common exam questions (with brief answers)
- Why are standards important in software development? They make quality, processes, and security requirements comparable and traceable.
- Which standard is central to software quality? ISO/IEC 25010.
- Which standard is known for information security / ISMS? ISO/IEC 27001.
- Which standard supports usability? DIN EN ISO 9241.
Takeaway
In practice, standards are less about memorization and more about a tool for justification, structure, and demonstrable compliance—and that’s exactly what counts in exams.