# 3.5.2 Solution description, ISO 42024 ## Published contents Contents1 Scope2 Normative references3 Terms and definitions4 Architecture concepts4.1 Overview4.2 Architecture and architecting4.3 Architecture design and solution design4.4 Architecture definition and communication4.5 Stakeholder concerns and architectural aspects4.6 Architecture viewpoints and architecture views4.7 Architecture frameworks and architecture description languages4.8 Architecture descriptions and architecture models4.9 Reference architectures and reference models4.10 Life cycle and life history4.11 Architecting precepts5 Architecting principles5.1 Introduction to the principles5.2 Principles about the purpose of an architecture5.3 Principles about the focus of an architecture5.4 Principles about architecting outcomesTerms 3.2 Architecting concepts 3.2.1 Architecture3.2.2 Architecture feature3.2.3 Architecting3.2.4 Architecting principle3.2.5 Architecture principle3.2.6 Architecture framework3.2.7 Reference architecture3.3 Entity related concepts 3.3.1 Entity of interest3.3.2 Solution entity3.3.3 Environment3.3.4 Context3.3.5 Enterprise3.3.6 System3.3.7 Aspect3.3.8 Dimension3.4 Architecture design concepts 3.4.1 Design (noun)3.4.2 Architecture design3.4.3 Architecture information package3.4.4 Engineering effort3.4.5 Solution design3.4.6 Solution information package3.4.7 Stakeholder3.4.8 Stakeholder perspective3.4.9 Concern3.5 Architecture description concepts 3.5.1 Architecture description3.5.2 Solution description3.5.3 Architecture view3.5.4 Architecture viewpoint3.5.5 Model3.5.6 Metamodel3.5.7 Reference model3.6 Entity life cycle concepts 3.6.1 Life cycle3.6.2 Life cycle phase3.6.3 Life cycle stage3.6.4 Life historyAnnexes A.1 Architecture design and solution related entitiesA.2 Architecture expressed as a set of modelsA.3 Life cycle and life history conceptsA.4 Enterprise and system conceptsA.5 Duality of architectural decomposition and architectural synthesisB.1 BackgroundB.2 Aligning architecture in designB.3 Duality of architectureB.4 Pursuit of opportunities Home / Glossary Architecture description concepts · 3.5.2 # Solution description The work product that expresses a solution entity. It usually covers several aspects of the entity over its full life cycle, including objectives, requirements, construction, test, operation, maintenance, sustainment and deployment. - definition - Term - ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024 - Last updated: 2026-10-21 ## What this term settles The solution description is broader than a build specification. It covers the life cycle, including operation and sustainment. That breadth is what makes it useful to an auditor asking whether the entity can be run, not only whether it can be built. ## What to do in your practice Use one solution description per solution entity, with sections for the life cycle aspects. Trace it to the architecture description it realises. Keep it with the entity record so it survives project closure. Keep the solution description with the entity, not with the programme. A description filed under a programme code becomes unreadable to the next team, and the entity record is the only place a later engineer or auditor will look. ## 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 solution description with life cycle sections populated. Shows the entity was designed for operation and sustainment. - A trace to the architecture description. Lets a reviewer test alignment. - The test and evaluation approach. Shows the claims in the description can be verified. - The retention record after project closure. Keeps the description available for later change. - The owner and approval of the solution description. An auditor asks who signed the description the build followed. Ask your teamDoes this solution description say how the entity will be operated and sustained, or only how it will be built? ## Common gaps this page catches - The description stops at build and leaves operation to a runbook written later. - No trace to the architecture description exists. - The description is archived with the project and lost to the entity. ## What to prepare before publication Add operation and sustainment sections to the template. Take one live solution and fill the gaps. Retain the result with the entity record. ## Common questions What does Solution description mean in ISO 42024? The work product that expresses a solution entity. It usually covers several aspects of the entity over its full life cycle, including objectives, requirements, construction, test, operation, maintenance, sustainment and deployment. What evidence should we keep for 3.5.2? The solution description with life cycle sections populated. A trace to the architecture description. The test and evaluation approach. ## Related units - 3.3.2 - 3.5.1 - 3.4.6 Source. ISO/IEC/IEEE DIS 42024, Clause 3.5.2, 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 Source: https://iso-42024-revision-checker.theartofservice.com/glossary/solution-description/