根据ISO词汇标准，每个技术委员会负责其专业领域的标准术语。本文件提供了一个通用词汇表，适用于ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7、软件和系统工程以及IEEE计算机学会系统和软件工程标准委员会（IEEE？CS S2ESC）范围内的所有系统和软件工程工作。所定义的每个概念的范围都经过了选择，以提供适合一般应用的定义。在涉及受限应用的情况下，可能需要更具体的定义。如果这些术语被认为对一个团体或组织来说是狭隘的，则被排除在外；公司所有权或商标；多词术语，其含义可以从组成词的定义中推断； 以及在信息技术（IT）领域的含义可以直接从其常见的英语词典含义推断出来的术语。

Consistent with ISO vocabulary standards, each technical committee is responsible for standard terminology in its area of specialization. This document provides a common vocabulary applicable to all systems and software engineering work falling within the scope of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7, Software and systems engineering, and the IEEE Computer Society Systems and Software Engineering Standards Committee (IEEE‐CS S2ESC). The scope of each concept defined has been chosen to provide a definition that is suitable for general application. In those circumstances where a restricted application is concerned, a more specific definition might be needed. Terms have been excluded if they were: considered to be parochial to one group or organization; company proprietary or trademarked; multi‐word terms whose meaning could be inferred from the definitions of the component words; and terms whose meaning in the information technology (IT) field could be directly inferred from their common English dictionary meaning.