DO-254 Certification Guide
Guide to Defining Requirements for DO-254
Table of Contents
Introduction
DO-254, formally known as “Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware,” is a widely accepted standard for the development of electronic hardware for airborne systems. It outlines the requirements and guidelines for the development and certification of airborne electronic hardware that is used in commercial and military aircraft. Compliance with DO-254 is necessary to ensure that the electronic hardware developed for airborne systems meets the required safety and reliability standards.
One of the critical aspects of compliance with DO-254 is the definition of requirements. The requirements must be accurately defined to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose and is compliant with DO-254. Here is a guide to defining requirements for DO-254.
Steps to Define Requirements for DO-254
Step 1: Identify and Define System-Level Requirements
The first step in defining requirements for DO-254 is to identify and define the system-level requirements. These requirements must be derived from the system-level specification, which outlines the intended function and performance of the airborne system. The system-level requirements should be clear, concise, and unambiguous. They must be verifiable and testable to ensure that the hardware developed meets the intended purpose.
The system-level requirements should be defined in terms of what the system must do, not how it should do it. They should include the system’s intended function, performance, environmental conditions, and any other relevant information. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in the development of system-level requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved.
Step 2: Define Hardware-Level Requirements
Once the system-level requirements have been identified and defined, the next step is to define the hardware-level requirements. The hardware-level requirements must be derived from the system-level requirements and must be detailed enough to guide the development process. These requirements should include the required hardware interfaces, performance characteristics, environmental conditions, and other relevant information.
The hardware-level requirements should be defined in terms of the hardware’s intended function and performance. They should be specific, measurable, and verifiable to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in the development of hardware-level requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved.
Step 3: Define Verification and Validation Requirements
Verification and validation are critical aspects of compliance with DO-254. Therefore, the verification and validation requirements must be defined accurately. The verification and validation requirements should include the verification and validation methods, test procedures, and acceptance criteria. The verification and validation requirements should be linked to the system-level and hardware-level requirements to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose.
The verification and validation requirements should be defined in terms of what needs to be verified and validated and how it will be done. They should be specific, measurable, and verifiable to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in the development of verification and validation requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved.
Step 4: Define Traceability Requirements
Traceability is a crucial aspect of compliance with DO-254. Traceability ensures that the hardware developed meets the intended purpose and is compliant with the requirements defined. Therefore, traceability requirements must be defined accurately. The traceability requirements should include the traceability matrix, which links the system-level requirements to the hardware-level requirements and the verification and validation requirements.
The traceability requirements should be defined in terms of how the requirements will be traced throughout the development process. They should be specific, measurable, and verifiable to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in developing traceability requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved.
Step 5: Define Configuration Management Requirements
Configuration management is another critical aspect of compliance with DO-254. Configuration management ensures that the developed hardware is properly controlled and managed throughout the development process. Therefore, the configuration management requirements must be defined accurately.
Step 6: Define Design Assurance Levels (DALs)
Design assurance levels (DALs) are a key aspect of DO-254. DALs are used to classify airborne electronic hardware according to the level of risk associated with its failure. The DALs range from DAL A, which is associated with the highest level of risk, to DAL E, which is associated with the lowest level of risk.
The definition of DALs involves identifying the safety-criticality of the electronic hardware and assigning a corresponding DAL. The safety-criticality is determined by considering the impact of the hardware’s failure on the aircraft, crew, and passengers. The higher the impact of the hardware’s failure, the higher the safety-criticality and the corresponding DAL.
The DALs define the level of rigor required for the hardware development process, verification and validation process, and certification process. DAL A hardware requires the highest level of rigor, while DAL E hardware requires the lowest level of rigor.
Step 7: Define Safety and Reliability Requirements
The safety and reliability requirements are essential aspects of DO-254. The safety and reliability requirements ensure that the electronic hardware developed for airborne systems is safe and reliable. These requirements should be defined based on the assigned DAL.
The safety requirements should include safety objectives and safety-critical functions that need to be achieved. The safety-critical functions are those that are necessary to maintain the safety of the aircraft, crew, and passengers. The safety requirements should also include safety analysis, hazard analysis, and safety assessments.
The reliability requirements should include the expected reliability, maintainability, and availability of the electronic hardware. The reliability requirements should be defined in terms of the assigned DAL and the intended operating environment.
It is essential to involve all stakeholders in the development of safety and reliability requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved. The safety and reliability requirements should be defined in a way that is specific, measurable, and verifiable to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose.
In summary, defining DALs and safety and reliability requirements are critical aspects of the requirements definition process for DO-254. These steps ensure that the developed electronic hardware is safe, reliable, and compliant with DO-254. By following these steps, you can ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose and is suitable for use in airborne systems.
Visure Requirements ALM Platform
Visure Requirements ALM features visual role-based workflows that make it possible to align the processes and the tools and follow the life of a requirement through its development and specification, to its subsequent deployment and use, and through periods of ongoing refinement and iteration in any of these phases.
Visure Requirements provides end-to-end traceability between requirements, verification, problem reporting, checklists, and project artifacts in one single environment. It also integrates with other tools of the lifecycle to provide comprehensive management for the development and verification of avionic embedded systems.
Visure Requirements allows you to standardize and streamline your organization’s processes related to DO-254. You can graphically define the artifacts and enforce the traceability policy between them across all Design Assurance Levels (DALs). This way, you can ensure that the hardware systems of the aircraft based on their safety criticality are up to par.
With Visure, you can use automated checklists to manage compliance and easily integrate and access our DER partner’s checklists into our tool. This will enable you to design and improve a review process around these checklists, and automatically measure requirements quality with AI enforcement alignment and quality across the organization.
With Visure, you can also increase productivity and alignment among your team by tracking progress end-to-end, reusing requirements for compliance across projects, and automating task verification for DO-254 with any 3rd party Test Management Solution.
Conclusion
In conclusion, defining requirements for DO-254 is a critical aspect of compliance with the standard. The requirements must be accurately defined to ensure that the developed hardware meets the intended purpose and is compliant with DO-254. The seven-step process outlined in this article can help in defining the requirements accurately. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in developing requirements to ensure that they meet the needs of all parties involved.
At Visure Solutions, we understand the complexity involved in defining requirements for DO-254. That is why we have developed a Requirements Engineering Platform that can help make things easier. Our platform is designed to simplify the process of defining, managing, and verifying requirements for DO-254 compliance. It provides a centralized platform for collaboration, traceability, and compliance management, making it easier for all stakeholders to work together.
With our platform, you can define requirements using predefined DO-254 templates, ensuring compliance with the standard. You can manage and track requirements throughout the development process, ensuring that they are accurate and complete. You can also generate compliance reports automatically, making it easier to demonstrate compliance with DO-254.
In summary, Visure Solutions can help make things easier when defining requirements for DO-254. Our Requirements Engineering Platform simplifies the process of defining, managing, and verifying requirements for DO-254 compliance, ensuring that the developed hardware is safe, reliable, and compliant with DO-254.
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