The document discusses standards, certification, and assessment in software development. It outlines the benefits of applying standards such as better coordination between teams and cooperation between developers and external partners. It then describes some major organizations involved in standards development like IEEE, ISO, DOD, ANSI, IEC, and EIA. Finally, it classifies standards into two categories: QA management standards like ISO 9000-3 and CMM; and project process standards which define steps for documentation, design reviews, and testing.