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PD ISO IEC TS — ISO/IEC Technical Specifications (TS) Single-File Series Overview (18 Standards)
ISO/IEC Technical Specifications (TS) Adopted as Published Documents — 18 Standards
📋 PD ISO/IEC TS are ISO/IEC Technical Specifications adopted by BSI as Published Documents. A Technical Specification publishes normative content that is technically mature but has not yet entered the formal International Standard (IS) process, particularly suited to fields needing rapid methodological alignment. This review brings together 18 single-file technical specifications in this batch, heavily concentrated on programming language (C++, Fortran, C) extensions, supplemented by information security management, process assessment, IT governance, biometrics and database languages.
💡 About half of this batch concerns C++ standardisation: from parallelism, concurrency and transactional memory to concepts, the file system and library fundamentals, these TS record the C++ standards committee’s practice of “TS first, then merge into the formal standard” between major revisions — key documents for understanding the C++11 to C++17/20 evolution.
1. Series Background 📌
In its standardisation practice, the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC 1) often encounters content that is technically mature but with consensus and stability not yet sufficient for a formal International Standard; it is then issued as a Technical Specification (TS). A TS may provide interim normative content before a formal standard or interpretation and methods after it, and is normally reviewed after a defined period for conversion, continuation or withdrawal. BSI adopts these under the PD numbering so that UK software and information industries can access the international normative drafts at the earliest opportunity.
The 18 TS in this batch fall roughly into: programming language extensions (18508, 18822, 19217, 19568, 19570, 19571, 19841, 17961); information security (30104, 33052, 33072); process and governance (15504-10, 17023, 30103, 38501); and other information topics (13249-7, 19763-13, 20027).
⚠️ The methods, examples and conclusions in a Technical Specification are largely advisory; they are not equivalent to the mandatory clauses of a formal International Standard. When citing in compliance, certification or contractual contexts, distinguish the guidance in a TS from the normative requirements of the corresponding international standard.
2. Standard Inventory (18 items) 📚
The table below lists all 18 single-file PD ISO/IEC TS technical specifications in this batch, ordered by number, with the document number and subject.
| Document | Subject |
|---|---|
| PD ISO/IEC TS 13249-7:2013 | Information technology – Database languages – SQL multimedia and application packages – Part 7: History |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 15504-10:2011 | Information technology – Process assessment – Part 10: Safety extension |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 17023:2013 | Conformity assessment – Guidelines for determining the duration of management system certification audits |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 17961:2013 | Information technology – Programming languages – C secure coding rules |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 18508:2015 | Information technology – Additional Parallel Features in Fortran |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 18822:2015 | Programming languages – C++ – File System Technical Specification |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19217:2015 | Information technology – Programming languages – C++ extensions for concepts |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19568:2017 | Programming languages – C++ extensions for library fundamentals |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19570:2015 | Programming languages – Technical Specification for C++ extensions for parallelism |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19571:2016 | Programming languages – Technical Specification for C++ extensions for concurrency |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19763-13:2016 | Information technology – Metamodel framework for interoperability (MFI) – Part 13: Metamodel for form design registration |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 19841:2015 | Programming languages – Technical Specification for C++ extensions for transactional memory |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 20027:2015 | Biometrics interoperability profiles – Best practices for slap tenprint captures |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 30103:2015 | Software and Systems Engineering – Lifecycle Processes – Framework for Product Quality Achievement |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 30104:2015 | Information technology – Security techniques – Physical security attacks, mitigation techniques and security requirements |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 33052:2016 | Information technology – Process reference model (PRM) for information security management |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 33072:2016 | Information technology – Process assessment – Process capability assessment model for information security management |
| PD ISO/IEC TS 38501:2015 | Information technology – Governance of IT – Implementation guide |
3. Technical Points of Representative Documents 🔬
1. PD ISO/IEC TS 19570:2015 — C++ Extensions for Parallelism
This TS adds parallel algorithms and other parallel execution support to C++, introducing the execution-policy concept so that standard-library algorithms can execute explicitly in parallel. It is the predecessor of the parallel-algorithms content in the C++17 formal standard, validating the library-design approach through a TS, and is core reading for understanding the evolution of modern C++ parallel programming.
2. PD ISO/IEC TS 15504-10:2011 — Process Assessment: Safety Extension
This TS belongs to the ISO/IEC 330xx (evolution of ISO/IEC 15504) process-assessment system, introducing a “safety” extension to process assessment by defining process attributes and assessment methods related to functional and information security, helping organisations include safety capability considerations in system and software process assessment. It complements functional-safety standards such as IEC 61508 and is an important supplement to process-improvement and capability-rating methodology.
3. PD ISO/IEC TS 33052:2016 — Process Reference Model for Information Security Management
Based on the ISO/IEC 330xx process-assessment system, this TS establishes a process reference model (PRM) for information security management (ISMS), mapping the management requirements of the ISO/IEC 27000 series into assessable processes and defining process purpose and outcomes. Together with 33072 (process capability assessment model), it enables maturity assessment and process improvement of an ISMS, forming the basis for quantitative evaluation of information security governance.
4. PD ISO/IEC TS 38501:2015 — Governance of IT: Implementation Guide
This TS supports ISO/IEC 38500 (governance of IT) by providing an operational implementation guide for IT governance, explaining how to translate governance principles (responsibility, strategy, acquisition, performance, conformance and human behaviour) into governance structures, processes and decision mechanisms. It helps boards and senior management move IT governance from principle to executable and auditable practice.
5. PD ISO/IEC TS 17961:2013 — C Secure Coding Rules
This TS proposes practical secure coding rules for the C language, giving coding constraints against typical vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows, undefined behaviour, and pointer and memory management issues. It is one of the authoritative guides for secure C development, complements rule sets such as MISRA C, and is widely applied in the development and auditing of embedded, network and systems software.
✅ The five representative TS above cover C++ parallelism, process safety extension, information security management, IT governance and C secure coding, illustrating the role of ISO/IEC TS across “software languages, process assessment and governance methods”. The remaining 13 are listed in the full inventory table.
4. Engineering Practice 🛠️
- 💻 Software engineering: the C++ parallelism (19570), concurrency (19571), transactional memory (19841), file system (18822) and library (19568) TS provide interim specifications for compiler and library implementations, guiding high-performance software development.
- 🔐 Information security: C secure coding (17961) is used in secure development; the process reference model (33052) and capability assessment (33072) support ISMS maturity rating; physical security (30104) supplements hardware security.
- 🏛️ Governance and auditing: IT governance implementation (38501) and audit-duration determination (17023) support governance deployment and certification audit practice.
- 🧬 Biometrics: best practices for slap tenprint captures (20027) provides data-quality requirements for border-control and identity-management systems.
5. Frequently Asked Questions ❓
❓ Q: What is the difference between an ISO/IEC TS and a formal International Standard?
A: A TS (Technical Specification) provides guidance, interim normative content or supplementary information without mandatory requirements; an International Standard (IS) contains normative clauses that must be followed. TS are often used to publish interim results quickly during standard development.
A: A TS (Technical Specification) provides guidance, interim normative content or supplementary information without mandatory requirements; an International Standard (IS) contains normative clauses that must be followed. TS are often used to publish interim results quickly during standard development.
❓ Q: Are PD ISO/IEC TS documents mandatory?
A: No. They are voluntary technical documents adopted by BSI; they become binding only where legislation or a contract explicitly references them.
A: No. They are voluntary technical documents adopted by BSI; they become binding only where legislation or a contract explicitly references them.
❓ Q: Why does C++ standardisation rely so heavily on the TS form?
A: Major C++ revisions have long cycles; the standards committee issues TS for community and compiler-implementation validation first, then merges the mature content into the next major revision (e.g. the parallelism TS merged into C++17), balancing quality and schedule.
A: Major C++ revisions have long cycles; the standards committee issues TS for community and compiler-implementation validation first, then merges the mature content into the next major revision (e.g. the parallelism TS merged into C++17), balancing quality and schedule.
🔍 Q: How do I judge whether a TS is still current?
A: Verify current status via the BSI/ISO official catalogue; if superseded by a formal standard (e.g. C++17 or a new ISO/IEC 330xx edition), switch to the new number and reassess the applicability of the original technical clauses.
A: Verify current status via the BSI/ISO official catalogue; if superseded by a formal standard (e.g. C++17 or a new ISO/IEC 330xx edition), switch to the new number and reassess the applicability of the original technical clauses.