This part of ISO/IEC 29155 identifies a framework for information technology (IT) project performance benchmarking (e.g. development or maintenance productivity) and related aspects (e.g. data collection and software classification). The framework consists of activities and components that are necessary to successfully identify, define, select, apply, and improve benchmarking for IT project performance. It also provides definitions for IT project performance benchmarking terms. The target audience of this part of ISO/IEC 29155 are stakeholders of IT project performance benchmarking. NOTE The following are examples of how this part of ISO/IEC 29155 can be used: — by a Benchmarking service provider who wants to align their benchmarking process to be consistent with this part of ISO/IEC 29155; — by a Benchmarking user (or third-party agents) for evaluating the performance of an IT project; — by an organization internally to answer specific information needs. This part of ISO/IEC 29155 does not prescribe how to organize benchmarking. It is out of the scope of this part of ISO/IEC 29155 to prescribe the name, format, or explicit content of the documentation to be produced from the benchmarking process.