Plans & Checklists

AFuzion’s DO-178C Process and Checklist Templates provide the basis for developing and certifying software per the guidance of RTCA DO-178C.

DO-178C requires planning documents and software lifecycle documents for requirements, design, implementation, and verification. Using DO-178C and DO-254 provided templates for these documents greatly eases their preparation and approval. For an added fee, AFuzion can even develop draft documents for planning your entire DO-178C and DO-254 planning & certification effort.

DO-178C and DO-254 also requires reviews, audits and proof thereof. The best “proof” is detailed and complete DO-178C, DO-254, and ARP4754A checklists covering the primary software lifecycle activities and artifacts. Using AFuzion’s DO-178C and DO-254 checklists ensures that you have an appropriate framework for successfully developing and certifying your system.

Once acquired from AFuzion and customized on the first project, your DO-178C project will retain the expertise to create, customize and re-use as appropriate on future DO-178C projects. Note that the DO-178C Planning documents (five documents) can be purchased in either Template form or “Initial Draft” form. The Template form option provides the basic templates which you then modify to create an initial draft. The Initial Draft option provides for AFuzion to first create initial drafts of all five planning documents using the same template, but adding the customer’s basic product information to create an initial draft; the customer then must finalize this initial draft to create the first versions of these five planning documents.

AFuzion’s DO-178C Plans and Checklist Templates cover all phases of the system’s software project lifecycle, and are developed with DO-178C in mind. The users of these templates would need to have some basic understanding of DO-178C, such as attendance at AFuzion DO-178C training or reading the Avionics Certification book principally written by AFuzion’s founder, Vance Hilderman.

These templates and checklists also help in getting organizations to the goal of higher SEI CMM/CMMI ratings (preferably Level 3 – 4+). Usage of AFuzion process templates and checklists are intended to maximize the probability of project success and quality.

The regulatory agencies require that most airborne commercial systems operating within commercial airspace to comply with DO-178C and DO-254 (details can be found in the regulatory website). The planning and processes for the engineering lifecycle are required for any DO-178C and DO-254 project and those processes must be defined before initiating that phase and followed during that phase. Although Checklists are not formally required by DO-178C and DO-254, your regulatory agencies will require that you prove conformance to DO-178C and DO-254 according to your approved processes; this conformance is very difficult to achieve and prove without checklists. In fact, nearly all DO-178C and DO-254 projects use checklists for reviews and proof of such.

AFuzion Process Templates are meant to provide the proper framework for customization to meet the system process requirements of DO-178C. Although there is no perfect process for all programs, there are unique areas of each individual project. Each project will vary somewhat in how it chooses to define, implement, or augment the AFuzion process Templates. Factors to consider include project Design Assurance Levels, complexity, and expertise of staff, development methodology, tools/environment, and technology. The AFuzion process Templates provide the basic elements of an avionics project compliant with DO-178C and DO-254. Further, AFuzion can customize and tailor these processes by the appropriate amount as an outflow of the gap analysis process, upon request as part of the optional first draft delivery.

If there are items in the checklists that are not applicable to your program they could simple be answered with “N/A”. It is also recommended that the checklists be placed under your project’s configuration management (CM) system to ensure checklist integrity.

Independent reviews are always preferable to reviews done by the developer. It should be noted that the checklists should be widely distributed to all personnel developing any avionics lifecycle item, prior to that person beginning such initiation. Thus, the checklist serves as a “report card” whereby the originator’s success is measured. When the originator understands what the independent verification reviewer will be evaluating the related hardware artifact for, the originator will more productively attain checklist compliance during development of that artifact. This applies to requirements, design, implementation, test, etc. The level of “independence for verification” required by DO-178C and DO-254 varies according to Design Assurance level (Level A through E).

For free DO-178C training videos, and training webinars on DO-254, ARP4754A, and DO-326A, freely view here: