Chip lifecycle / Avionics lifecycle / Certification Planning

Certification Planning

Writing and agreeing the plans that say how the hardware and software will meet the objectives of DO-254 and DO-178C at the assigned levels: the Plan for Hardware Aspects of Certification, the Plan for Software Aspects of Certification, the development, validation, verification, configuration management and process assurance plans, the standards, the tool qualification approach and the component management plan, ending with the first review with the certification authority.

Where this stage sits

This stage with its neighbours. Each row is a discipline active here, shaded by how mature its work is by the end of each stage.

Stage

^AO01 Aircraft and System Requirements

^A02 Certification PlanningYou are here

^A03 Hardware and Software Requirements

Certification, program and supply milestones

PLProgram launch

Hardware and software assurance milestones

DAAssurance levels assigned TFTR1TR1: Technology feasibility PSPlans submitted RBRequirements baselined

Program and certification management^A

0.0

0.3

Systems engineering and safety assessment^AO

0.0^A

0.3

0.5

Airborne electronic hardware design^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Airborne software development^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Hardware validation and verification^D

0.0

0.3

0.5

Software verification^D

0.0

0.3

0.5

Process assurance and quality^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Configuration and change management^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Tools and design environment^O

0.0

0.3^O

0.5

Environmental qualification and compliance^A

0.0

0.3

Components, supply and export^A

0.0

0.3

Key0.0Planned0.3Early draft0.5Draft0.8Feature complete1.0CompleteFreezeFrozenFaded block: still at the step shown before it, Held below Complete or Maintained under change control once complete or frozenFreeze or sign-off pointMilestone for one item; the rest of the work carries onMilestone gateTRTechnical readiness review (TR): a gate that checks the technology is ready before the next commitment.You are here: Certification PlanningAI impactDisruption (red)Augmentation (blue)Opportunity (green)How AI is changing the workWhat the steps mean What the codes mean

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Stages

Certification, program and supply milestones

Program launch (PL)

Hardware and software assurance milestones

Assurance levels assigned (DA)
TR1: Technology feasibility (TF) (technical readiness review TR1)
Plans submitted (PS)
Requirements baselined (RB)

Disciplines

Program and certification management^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Business case approved, customer requirements and the plan agreed, and the certification basis expected for the equipment identified.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Certification plans submitted and the planning review held with the authority or the integrator; its findings are being closed.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Certification plans submitted and the planning review held with the authority or the integrator; its findings are being closed.
Systems engineering and safety assessment^AO
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Functional hazard assessment agreed and an assurance level assigned to every item, which sets the safety activities planned for the rest of the work.^A; Assurance levels frozen (milestone for one item)
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Preliminary system safety assessment started against the plans, with the independence and fault tolerance assumptions listed.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Derived requirements reviewed for safety and the preliminary assessment updated with the conceptual design's partitioning and independence.
Airborne electronic hardware design^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Hardware lead named, and the devices and boards the system needs scoped at their expected assurance levels with an effort estimate; no hardware plan yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Hardware design plan and design standards released, and the device technology shown feasible for the assurance level.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Hardware requirements baselined and traced to the system requirements; the conceptual design, device choice and component set reviewed against them.
Airborne software development^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Software lead named, and the software items and reuse scoped at their expected assurance levels with an effort estimate; no software plan yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Software development plan and the requirements, design and code standards released.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. High-level requirements baselined and traced to the system requirements; the software architecture defined and reviewed against them.
Hardware validation and verification^D
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Hardware verification lead named, and the verification effort and independence the expected assurance levels need estimated; no plans yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Hardware validation and verification plans released: methods, independence and the advanced methods the assurance level calls for.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Requirements validated and the trace data started; verification procedures, test benches and checkers written against the baselined requirements.
Software verification^D
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Software verification lead named, and the review, test and structural coverage effort the expected assurance levels need estimated; no plan yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Software verification plan released: review, analysis and test methods, independence and the structural coverage the assurance level calls for.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Reviews of the high-level requirements and architecture held; test cases and procedures written against the requirements.
Process assurance and quality^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Process assurance lead named with the independence the levels need, and the system requirements work audited against the program plan; no hardware or software assurance plans yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Process assurance and software quality assurance plans released, with the transition criteria each process must meet.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Audits of the requirements and design processes under way, with the transition criteria checked at the requirements and conceptual design baselines.
Configuration and change management^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Configuration management approach, identification scheme and tools chosen for the equipment data.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Configuration management plan released, with the plans and standards under control and problem reporting set up.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Requirements and conceptual design baselines under change control, with problem reports raised and tracked.
Tools and design environment^O
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Candidate design and verification tools listed for the expected assurance levels, with a first estimate of the tool qualification effort; no tool assessed yet.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Every design and verification tool assessed, and the qualification approach for tools whose output is not verified agreed in the plans.^O
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.5, Draft. Tool qualification under way for the tools that need it, and the design environment versions recorded.
Environmental qualification and compliance^A
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.0, Planned. Qualification lead named, the installation and its likely environmental and electromagnetic categories identified with the aircraft or system maker, and the test effort and laboratories estimated; nothing set in the equipment specification yet.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Environmental categories and the electromagnetic and lightning levels for the installation set in the equipment specification; the qualification approach outlined.
Components, supply and export^A
- Aircraft and System Requirements: maturity 0.0, Planned. Export classification of the equipment and its data recorded, and the approach to component management planned.
- Certification Planning: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Electronic component management plan released, with the critical parts, technology and obsolescence risks outlined.
- Hardware and Software Requirements: maturity 0.3, Early draft. Electronic component management plan released, with the critical parts, technology and obsolescence risks outlined.

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