ISO/IEC 20741:2017给出了软件工程工具的评估和选择指南，涵盖了软件工程生命周期的部分或全部部分。 它建立了应用于软件工程工具评估和从几个候选软件工程工具中选择最合适的软件工程工具的过程和活动。 它为选定的过程建立了可应用于软件工程工具评估和从几个候选软件工程工具中选择最合适的软件工程工具的任务和活动。 它建立了可应用于软件工程工具评估和从几个候选软件工程工具中选择最合适的软件工程工具的过程。 由于这些流程是通用的，组织可以调整这些通用流程以满足组织需求。软件工程工具评估和选择过程可以在组织的技术采用过程的大背景下看待。 ISO/IEC 20741:2017提供了以下内容: a)关于确定软件工程工具的组织需求的指导； b)关于将这些需求映射到待评估的软件工程工具特性的指导； c)用于基于所定义的特性的测量从若干工具中选择最合适的软件工程工具的过程。 注1:将这些需求映射到要评估的软件工程工具能力的指导不在本文档中，但在每个工具领域的一系列标准中有所涉及。 本文档的主要用户是打算采用软件工程工具来支持其软件生命周期过程的组织。软件工具供应商也可以使用本文档来描述他们的软件工程工具的特征。 ISO/IEC 20741:2017不适用于: a)软件工程框架，其目的是提供数据、控制和表示集成的机制； b)可用于软件工程活动的通用工具(例如文字处理器、电子表格)，也不是范围非常窄或目的特定的软件工程工具(例如编译器)； c)计划在组织内实施软件工程工具。 注2:本文档的用户可以做出软件工程工具的最佳选择，但不能保证成功实现。 本文档中描述的方法不仅对软件工程工具的选择有用，而且对任何可以选择COTS/FOSS软件而不是从事新软件开发的项目都有用。遵循本文档中提供的指南包括应用附加到定义过程的活动和任务来评估和选择软件。出于贸易目的使用本文档的组织可以指定适合其给定应用的最小流程集及其相关活动和任务。

ISO/IEC 20741:2017 gives guidelines for the evaluation and selection of software engineering tools, covering a partial or full portion of the software engineering life cycle.
It establishes processes and activities to be applied for the evaluation of software engineering tools and selecting the most appropriate software engineering tools from several candidates.
It establishes, for selected processes, the tasks and activities that can be applied for the evaluation of software engineering tools and selecting the most appropriate software engineering tools from several candidates.
It establishes processes that can be applied for the evaluation of software engineering tools and selecting the most appropriate software engineering tools from several candidates.
As these processes are generic, organizations can adapt these generic processes to meet organizational needs. The software engineering tool evaluation and selection processes can be viewed in the larger context of the organization's technology adoption process.
ISO/IEC 20741:2017 provides the following:
a) guidance on identifying organizational requirements for software engineering tools;
b) guidance on mapping those requirements to software engineering tool characteristics to be evaluated;
c) a process for selecting the most appropriate software engineering tool from several tools, based on measurements of the defined characteristics.
NOTE 1 Guidance on mapping those requirements to software engineering tool capabilities to be evaluated is not covered by this document, but is covered by a series of standards for each tool area.
Primary users of this document are organizations that intend to adopt software engineering tools to support their software life cycle processes. Software tool suppliers can also use this document to describe characteristics of their software engineering tools.
ISO/IEC 20741:2017 is not intended to apply to:
a) software engineering frameworks whose purpose is to provide mechanisms for data, control and presentation integration;
b) general purpose tools (e.g. word processors, spreadsheets) which can be used in software engineering activities, nor software engineering tools of very narrow scope or specific purpose (e.g. a compiler);
c) planning for the implementation of software engineering tools within an organization.
NOTE 2 A user of this document can make the best possible selection of a software engineering tool and yet have no guarantee of a successful implementation.
The methods described in this document are useful not only for the selection of software engineering tools, but for any project where COTS/FOSS software can be selected instead of engaging in new software development.
To follow the guidance provided in this document consists in applying the activities and tasks that are attached to the defined processes to evaluate and select software. Organizations using this document for trade purposes can specify the minimum set of processes and their related activities and tasks, suitable to their given application.