High integrity software development: process and tool issues

Abstract YSE and BAe Defence have recently completed an unclassified study for MoD (PE) specifically concerned with high integrity software development process and tool issues. The overall objective of the project was to produce guidance for MoD project managers on the sorts of processes and toolsets which their suppliers should be expected to deploy on projects being conducted in the context of Interim Defense Standard (IDS) 00-55 and IDS 00-56. A wide-ranging survey of industrial practice underpinned the project. This paper reports the main areas of work of the project and its results. The topics covered include: • ⊗ ideal high integrity software development including tool support requirements; • ⊗ a review of current high integrity software development practice; • ⊗ available tool support (COTS and proprietary); • ⊗ a minimum acceptable process and associated tool support; • ⊗ process and toolset hazard analysis; • ⊗ process and toolset safety cases; • ⊗ building better toolsets; • ⊗ process and toolset assessment.