DO178B identifies the quality requirements for airborne software by means of objectives that are listed in Annex A of the document. Based on this definition, software quality assurance for DO-178B can be considered to be the sum of all activities and actions performed to satisfy the given quality requirements. The planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence and evidence that a product or process satisfies given requirements. However, it provides a definition of assurance: DO-178B does not provide a definition of quality. However, from customer’s perspective, highquality software is the one that meets their needs.

Software developers consider software that meets their requirements, as a quality product. The term “SQE” refers to software quality engineers working both on airborne software and tools.īackground In software engineering, the interpretation of a quality product varies depending on the perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of SQA in a DO-178B/C software life cycle process and to provide suggestions to fulfill the required software product quality objectives.ĭefinitions For the purpose of this paper, the terms “development” and “development process” are used to indicate the complete software life cycle (including planning, design and verification) unless otherwise specified. These objectives can be fulfilled by performing specific quality assurance activities in the frame of the SQA process. DO-178B/C requires that the software product in question satisfies specific objectives related to software quality assurance (SQA). In December 2011, RTCA issued DO-178C to provide clarification and to address the inconsistencies in DO-178B, as well as to introduce technology advancements in certifiable software development. Introduction DO-178B is a document published by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) that is used as the guidance for the development of software used in civil certifiable airborne systems. Software quality assurance for DO-178B can be considered to be the sum of all activities and actions performed to satisfy the given quality requirements. THE ROLE OF SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DO-178B/C SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

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