ISO2002MF 

Conformance and Interfaces

The term "conformance" is used in this document with several different meanings. In the context of object orientation, the term "conformance" is used to describe a relationship between object interfaces, and it is the basis of such fundamental features as inheritance, interface definitions, and conformance checking.

Note: Conformance checking is done at compile time only, except when using an object modifier and when invoking a method using a universal object reference.