DO-178C Airborne Software Development and Certification

Each DO-178C project starts with the planning phase and producing of five key software certification plans (PSAC, SDP, SVP, SCMP, SQAP).  We have proven and optimized DO-178C templates which make our planning phase effective and allow us to focus on the important parts of the planning and execution of core activities.  Our software plans will set a streamline path towards certification under EASA or FAA.

Our DO-178C certification plans together with all software life-cycle processes can be tailored to reflect selected certification solution provided by LICRIT. Our planning will reflect our agreement and project setup, covering full or partial certification life-cycle, different roles and responsibilities, or even sharing toolchain and software environment . We’ll be happy to reflect our certification expertise and your technical know-how and expertise. 

We will ensure that all specific certification considerations applicable to your project, target application and hardware, specific operating environment or use-cases, are taken into account and corresponding means are established and well planned in the most effective way. During our planning, we  will also consider any applicable considerations related to EASA or FAA means of compliance (AMC/AC 20-115. AC/AMC 20-193, and others).

We develop Software Requirements Data (SRD) with High-Level software Requirements (HLRs) either decomposed from the system requirements or derived during their further refining. HLRs are developed according to software requirements standard. We ensure that HLRs are correct, consistent, and testable. We use Visure Requirements ALM Platform tool which ensures end-to-end traceability and reliable requirements management. 

We develop the Software Design Description (SDD) with further specification of software architecture, structure and its components. SDD will define data and control flow between the components. HLRs and software architecture is further developed into Low-Level Software Requirements (LLRs) decomposed either from HLRs or derived during further design development. 

Architecture and LLRs are implemented during the software coding process. Implementation of the source code is done with respect to coding standard based on the best industry practices and recommendations for safe and secure coding (e.g. MISRA-C, SEI). 

Verification activities are integral part of the project, ensuring that the software meets its requirements, adheres to design constraints, and maintains intended behavior. It involves activities like reviews and analyses of requirements, design, and code, as well as testing (including structural coverage analysis) to confirm completeness and correctness. We ensure that all verification activities and results are documented and traced, providing evidence of compliance and safety. 

DO‑178C mandates a rigorous configuration management process to ensure that all software items are identified, controlled, and tracked throughout the development lifecycle. All changes to configuration items must be authorized, recorded, and verified, with revision histories available for auditing. This approach helps maintain traceability, consistency, and integrity of software artifacts, supporting overall compliance and safety.

Software quality assurance (SQA) involves independent reviews and audits to verify that development processes and products comply with the standard’s objectives. It checks for adherence to approved plans, correctness of deliverables, and consistency of implemented processes. SQA also ensures that all anomalies and findings are documented, addressed, and resolved before final approval is granted.