In an increasingly software-driven world, the quality of software products is a key driver of business success, user satisfaction, and operational stability. Yet, evaluating what makes a software product “high quality” can be subjective without a standardized approach. That’s where ISO/IEC 25010:2011, the Software Product Quality Model, comes into the picture.
ISO/IEC 25010 defines a clear and structured model for assessing and ensuring software quality throughout the development lifecycle. Whether you're developing enterprise applications, consumer apps, or SaaS platforms, ISO 25010 provides a shared language and metrics for developers, testers, quality analysts and business stakeholders.
How to Apply ISO 25010 to Improve the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) encompasses planning, design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance of software systems. Integrating ISO 25010 into the SDLC helps organizations embed quality at every phase—rather than just at the testing or review stage.
ISO 25010 defines eight core quality characteristics for software products: Functional Suitability, Performance Efficiency, Compatibility, Usability, Reliability, Security, Maintainability, and Portability. Each of these is broken down into sub-characteristics that guide measurable, actionable improvements.
For example, during the design phase, developers can reference Usability and Accessibility metrics to create inclusive interfaces. In the testing phase, Reliability metrics help define how often a product fails under stress. Post-deployment, Maintainability and Portability influence how quickly updates can be released and how well the system adapts to other platforms or environments.
By systematically applying ISO 25010 to your SDLC, you create a quality-driven development culture where performance, security, and maintainability are core priorities.
Looking to align your SDLC with ISO 25010 for better software governance? Pacific Certifications can guide your development teams through ISO-aligned audits and quality model integration. Contact us at support@pacificcert.com.
Functional Suitability to Maintainability: A Deep Dive into ISO 25010
ISO 25010 defines software product quality using eight primary characteristics, each with its own sub-characteristics. Here's an overview of these dimensions and what they mean in practice:
Functional Suitability
Measures whether the software provides functions that meet stated and implied needs when used under specified conditions. Includes functional completeness, correctness, and appropriateness.
Performance Efficiency
Evaluates system response times, resource usage, and throughput. This is essential in applications where performance is business-critical, such as financial systems or real-time platforms.
Compatibility
Refers to the ability of the software to operate with other products or systems, including co-existence and interoperability—vital for SaaS, API-driven services, or hybrid ecosystems.
Usability
Focuses on user experience, learnability, operability, and user interface design. Usability affects adoption, engagement, and overall satisfaction.
Reliability
Ensures the system performs consistently and predictably, including availability, fault tolerance, and recoverability. Especially critical for healthcare, aviation, and security-based software.
Security
Covers aspects like confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation, and vulnerability handling. In an age of data breaches and compliance, this cannot be overlooked.
Maintainability
Determines how easily a software product can be modified. Includes testability, modularity, and reusability—important for long-term development and DevOps success.
Portability
Refers to how well the software can be transferred from one environment to another. Includes adaptability, installability, and replaceability.
Applying ISO 25010 in software projects allows organizations to define quality goals tied to business impact—for example, minimizing service downtime, reducing helpdesk tickets, or ensuring faster time to market with each release.
To conduct an ISO 25010 quality audit or integrate these metrics into your QA strategy, reach out to support@pacificcert.com.
ISO 25010 vs ISO 9001: Which Standard Applies to Your Software?
One common question among quality managers and CTOs is whether to adopt ISO 25010 or ISO 9001 when building or evaluating software products. While both standards relate to quality, they serve different purposes.
ISO 25010 is specifically designed to evaluate the internal and external quality of a software product. It focuses on attributes like usability, maintainability, and security—providing precise guidance for software architecture, development, and testing teams.
ISO 9001, on the other hand, is a general quality management system (QMS) standard applicable to any industry. It sets the foundation for consistent product or service delivery, customer satisfaction, and process control but doesn’t provide product-specific metrics or guidance.
If you’re looking to certify your software development processes and outputs, ISO 25010 is the right fit. If your focus is broader, like ensuring quality across your entire organization’s operations, including HR, procurement, and customer support, ISO 9001 may be more appropriate.
In many cases, companies pursue both: ISO 9001 for organizational governance and ISO 25010 as a technical framework within software projects.
Need help deciding which ISO standard suits your software business best? Schedule a call with Pacific Certifications via support@pacificcert.com.
Creating High-Quality Software Products with ISO 25010 Metrics
ISO 25010 helps organizations move beyond vague statements like “make the software faster” or “improve user experience” by offering concrete, measurable criteria for software quality.
By mapping each software feature to relevant ISO 25010 characteristics during the requirement-gathering phase, teams can define precise quality goals. For example:
- Response times under 1 second for key tasks (Performance Efficiency)
- Recovery from system failure within 30 seconds (Reliability)
- Successful user onboarding within 3 minutes (Usability)
- Modular components reused across 3+ projects (Maintainability)
These metrics also serve as benchmarks during code reviews, automated testing, and stakeholder reporting—ensuring teams remain aligned and accountable.
Moreover, using ISO 25010 metrics enhances communication between business and technical teams, ensuring that quality becomes a shared objective, not an isolated function of the QA team.
We at Pacific Certifications can support your software teams in creating custom quality dashboards, audit templates, and metric frameworks based on ISO 25010. To learn more, write to us at support@pacificcert.com.
ISO 25010 as a Foundation for Software Excellence
TO sum up, ISO 25010 provides a universal framework for assessing and improving software product quality, empowering organizations to build high-performing, secure, and user-friendly applications that meet both business and end-user expectations.
From planning to post-deployment, ISO 25010 ensures that quality is built into your SDLC—not bolted on at the end. Whether you're launching a new app or managing an enterprise software platform, applying this standard will significantly reduce risk, streamline development, and boost customer satisfaction.
Pacific Certifications, an accredited ISO body, can assist software companies, IT departments, and DevOps teams in aligning their development workflows with ISO 25010, conducting quality audits, and integrating best practices into every sprint.
Contact us at support@pacificcert.com to begin improving your software quality framework with ISO standards!
FAQs on ISO/IEC 25010 – Software Product Quality Model
What is ISO/IEC 25010?
It’s an international model defining eight quality characteristics to evaluate and improve software products. Pacific Certifications can guide your implementation.
Does ISO 25010 overlap with ISO 9001?
Yes—ISO 9001 covers quality management; ISO 25010 drills into software-specific metrics. Integrating both drives product excellence.
How does the model help with security?
It defines security sub-attributes (confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation, accountability, authenticity) to build secure‐by‐design products.
Can ISO 25010 improve customer satisfaction?
Absolutely. By scoring usability and reliability, you fix pain points early, boosting user trust and retention.
Is training available for ISO 25010 adoption?
Yes—Pacific Certifications offers workshops on mapping the model to real-world test plans, KPIs, and audit requirements.
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