Clause 3.1: General terms
The general terms fix what a measure is, what a software quality measure is, what a risk treatment measure is, and what transparency means.
What clause 3.1 is
The general terms fix what a measure is, what a software quality measure is, what a risk treatment measure is, and what transparency means. The second edition adds the environmental vocabulary (environment, sustainability aspect, environmental impact, life cycle assessment, economic and social sustainability) and the control vocabulary (control, controller, engagement of control, control point), plus selection bias.
What the 2023 edition said
The first edition defined measure as a noun and a verb, software quality measure, risk treatment measure and transparency.
What the second edition changes
New terms are added for the environment, for control and for selection bias. The control terms underpin the moved user controllability characteristic, and the environmental terms underpin the new sustainability characteristic.
The FDIS text is not public. The change line above is read from the public draft, which is not the FDIS and may differ. No clause level diff is invented here. The ISO stage record is the authority for the dates.
Why it matters to the buyer
Definitions decide arguments. If two teams mean different things by measure, the evaluation results cannot be compared, and if nobody defines who a controller is, an intervention path has no owner.
What to write in the requirement
Put the definitions you rely on into the glossary of the quality plan. Mark the edition they come from. Where you use a term differently, say so in one line rather than leaving the reader to guess.
Evidence a reviewer asks for
A reviewer will pick two terms from the plan and ask whether the team means the same thing by them. The glossary is the answer.
- GlossaryThe terms used in the quality requirements, each with its definition and the edition it came from
- Control vocabularyThe named controllers and control points for each AI system where user controllability applies
- Environmental vocabularyThe measure boundary used for any environmental requirement, with the definition of the impact it covers
Where it commonly fails
- The glossary is copied from a vendor page with no edition named
- Controller is used for two different roles
- Environmental impact is undefined but reported
What to do before publication
Add the control and environmental terms to the glossary before the requirements that use them are written.
Read across
Source for clause 3.1: ISO/IEC 25059, Clause 3.1, retrieved 20 October 2026. The change line rests on the public draft of the second edition and ISO page 88234. The requirement, evidence and gaps are written from our record. Every source.