Beyond Tradition: Evaluating Agile feasibility in DO-178C for Aerospace Software Development

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 various working methods, including Agile methods, contrary to the overall opinion in the industry that the traditional waterfall method is mandatory. Additionally, we emphasise that the guidelines explanation is explicitly tailored to software professionals using Agile methods, giving it a much more specific focus than publications that only provide a generic overview of the standard.