Which type of evaluation assesses software products against established standards and guidelines?

The type of evaluation that assesses software products against established standards and guidelines is auditing. This process involves a systematic examination of documents and activities to ensure compliance with defined standards, regulations, or guidelines. Auditing focuses on verifying that the software product meets the required benchmarks and adheres to specified criteria, often including reviews of documentation, processes, and implementations.

In an auditing context, the evaluation can cover aspects such as safety requirements, quality control processes, and adherence to best practices. It is a formal way of ensuring that the development process is consistent with the standards set forth by organizations, stakeholders, or regulatory bodies.

While compliance testing is geared toward assessing whether software meets certain requirements (often from a functional perspective), and certification indicates that a software product has met the standards of a particular authority, auditing is specifically about the evaluation process itself. Inspection, on the other hand, is focused more on reviewing artifacts and code for defects or issues rather than a comprehensive evaluation against standards. Thus, auditing is the most applicable term for assessing software products against established standards and guidelines.