ISO 42024 Revision Checker
ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 · Enterprise, systems and software, Architecture fundamentals Stage 40.99 Planning date 15 Sep 2027, an estimate 35 terms · 20 clause areas · 9 annex sections

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Entity life cycle concepts · 3.6.1

Life cycle

The phases or stages an entity passes through between conception and the point where it no longer exists. It begins when a need is identified and ends when the entity is no longer needed.

  • definition
  • Term
  • ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024
  • Last updated: 2026-10-21

What this term settles

The life cycle starts before the entity exists and ends after it stops being useful, not when it is switched off. That wider frame brings the need, the business case, the retirement and the disposal into architecture scope. Firms that start the clock at delivery miss the decisions that cost the most.

What to do in your practice

Draw the life cycle for each entity type, with phases and stages named. Record which decisions are made at which stage and who owns them. Include the retirement decision and the disposal obligations.

Who it binds

The role that owns the practice area the term governs. A definition binds nobody on its own; it binds the reader who adopts the term in a method, a description or a contract.

Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for

  • The life cycle model per entity type, with decision points.
    An auditor asks whether the firm governs the whole life, not only the build.
  • The retirement and disposal plan for each live entity.
    Shows the end of life was considered.
  • A decision owner per stage.
    Makes the life cycle operable.
  • The review date of the model.
    Keeps the model aligned to the firm process.
Ask your teamWhere in the life cycle does this entity currently sit, and who owns the decision to retire it?

Common gaps this page catches

  • The life cycle starts at delivery and ends at go live.
  • Retirement is an infrastructure event with no architecture decision.
  • No one owns the stage transitions.

What to prepare before publication

Draw the life cycle for the entity type and mark where the current estate sits. Add the retirement decision and its owner. Use the model in the next portfolio review.

Common questions

What does Life cycle mean in ISO 42024?
The phases or stages an entity passes through between conception and the point where it no longer exists. It begins when a need is identified and ends when the entity is no longer needed.
What evidence should we keep for 3.6.1?
The life cycle model per entity type, with decision points. The retirement and disposal plan for each live entity. A decision owner per stage.

Related units

Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.6.1, Terms and definitions. Open the official record. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec-ieee:42024:dis:ed-1:v1:en

ISO catalogue record 87510, the status, stage and page count.

Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.

Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your practice