The rules in this standard may be extended with organization-specific rules. However, the rules in the standard must be obeyed to claim conformance with the standard.
Training may be developed to educate software professionals regarding the appropriate application of coding standards. After passing an examination, these trained programmers may also be certified as coding professionals. For example, the Software Developer Certification (SDC) is a credentialing program developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The SDC uses authentic examination to
- Identify job candidates with specific programming skills
- Demonstrate the presence of a well-trained software workforce
- Provide guidance to educational and training institutions
Once a coding standard has been established, tools and processes can be developed or modified to determine conformance with the standard.