ISO/IEC 26555:2015 deals with the tools and methods of technical management for software products, software services, software-intensive systems (including System Architecture and excluding hardware) within a product line. The scope of this International Standard is as follows:

- Enable the users of this standard to holistically understand, adopt, and enact the processes, tools, and methods for product line technical management. In addition, this International Standard helps the users evaluate and select relevant tools and methods based on business and user-related criteria.

- Help product line engineers, developers, and tool vendors become informed about capabilities of tools and methods that are required for supporting product line implementation from technical aspects.

- Provide product line-specific processes and capabilities of tools and methods in technical management.

ISO/IEC 26555:2015 does not concern processes and capabilities of tools and methods for technical management for a one-of-a-kind system but rather deals with those belonging to a family of systems.

NOTE: System Architecture is a set of logical and physical principles used to achieve a mission within a given environment. From System Architecture are derived components that can be subsystems, software products, human-based products like crew or operators or hardware product like mechanical structures, electronic boards, chemicals, etc. The scope of the International Standard spans from the system, to sub-systems, and software products. Other types of components and especially those related to human beings and to hardware parts are not within the scope of this International Standard.