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 · 3.6.4

Life history

The order of the actual phases an entity passes through in its lifetime. Actual phases can be grouped into actual stages, and these typically overlap. There is one past history and there can be several possible future histories.

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

What this term settles

The life history is the record of what actually happened, not the plan. That makes it the auditor artefact among the life cycle terms: the plan says what was intended, the life history says what occurred. The point about multiple future histories is equally useful, because it legitimises scenario work.

What to do in your practice

Keep a life history record per entity: the actual phases, their dates, the stage they rolled up to and the decisions taken. Use it for post implementation review and for scenario planning, where several future histories are compared.

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 history record with actual dates and phases.
    An auditor asks what happened, as distinct from what was planned.
  • The decisions attached to each phase.
    Shows the record connects action to choice.
  • A scenario record for future histories.
    Shows planning considered more than one path.
  • The retention of the record after retirement.
    Keeps the history available for later enquiry.
Ask your teamWhat actually happened to this entity, as distinct from what the plan said would happen?

Common gaps this page catches

  • Only the plan is retained, so the actual history is reconstructed from memory.
  • Scenarios are treated as speculation and not recorded.
  • The record is lost at retirement.

What to prepare before publication

Start the life history record for one live entity from the evidence that exists. Mark the gaps. Add the record to the retirement checklist so it survives.

Common questions

What does Life history mean in ISO 42024?
The order of the actual phases an entity passes through in its lifetime. Actual phases can be grouped into actual stages, and these typically overlap. There is one past history and there can be several possible future histories.
What evidence should we keep for 3.6.4?
The life history record with actual dates and phases. The decisions attached to each phase. A scenario record for future histories.

Related units

Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.6.4, 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