Beyond Tradition: Evaluating Agile feasibility in DO-178C for Aerospace Software Development
J. Eduardo Ferreira Ribeiro, Jo\~ao Gabriel Silva, Ademar Aguiar

TL;DR
This paper evaluates the feasibility of adopting Agile development within the aerospace safety-critical context of DO-178C, showing that the standard supports Agile methods contrary to industry beliefs.
Contribution
It demonstrates that DO-178C does not restrict Agile practices and provides tailored guidelines, challenging the notion that waterfall is the only compliant approach.
Findings
DO-178C supports Agile development without restrictions
Guidelines are explicitly tailored for Agile practitioners
Agile methods can meet safety certification requirements
Abstract
Domain-specific standards and guidelines play a crucial role in regulating safety-critical systems, with one notable example being the DO-178C document for the aerospace industry. This document provides guidelines for organisations seeking to ensure the safety and certification of their software systems. This paper analyses the DO-178C document within the context of software development for safety-critical aerospace systems focusing on Agile software development, aiming to assess its feasibility. Unlike restricting specific development methods, DO-178C offers indispensable support that upholds confidence in safety, aligning seamlessly with the objectives of aerospace industries. Our analysis reveals that there are no limitations or restrictions within the DO-178C that inhibit the adoption of Agile and provides guidelines and objectives for achieving suitable evidence, allowing for…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSafety Systems Engineering in Autonomy · Software Reliability and Analysis Research · Risk and Safety Analysis
