ISO/IEC TR 29110-3:2011 defines the process assessment guidelines and conformance requirements needed to meet the purpose of defined VSE Profiles. It is applicable to all VSE Profiles and is compatible with ISO/IEC 15504-2.

The possible uses of ISO/IEC TR 29110-3:2011 are as follows.

1. Assessment to evaluate the process capabilities. This is when an organization wants an assessment execution in order to obtain a process profile of the implemented processes.


2. Provider's capability assessment. This is when a customer asks for a third party to conduct an assessment in order to obtain a process profile of the implemented process by the software development and maintenance provider. The customer chooses the processes to be assessed depending on the services to be contracted.

The target audience of ISO/IEC TR 29110-3:2011 is primarily those who perform process assessments for VSEs. ISO/IEC TR 29110-3:2011 also contains information that can be useful to developers of assessment methods and assessment tools.

ISO/IEC TR 29110-3:2011 is addressed to people who have a direct relation with the assessment process based on the VSE Profiles, e.g. the assessor and the sponsor of the assessment, who need guidance on ensuring that the requirements for performing an assessment have been met.