Environment:

DO-178B is the primary set of guidelines employed by the commercial aerospace industry to create safe and robust software. The FAA's Designated Engineering Representatives (DER) audit, analyze and verify that software development teams adhere to the DO-178B guidelines during all aspects of the software lifecycle. The highest level of DO-178B certification, Level A, is very stringent because failures of the system will cause a catastrophic effect on the aircraft, crew, and passengers.

DO-178 has changed incrementally from version DO-178A to DO-178B to include more rigorous testing, structural coverage and independent reviews. DO-178C, which has yet to be released, will include more guidance on software component modeling and object-oriented languages.

Challenge:

DO-178B, with its proven success in commercial aerospace and its proven processes developed over the last three decades, is fast becoming the de facto standard for developing software in the military and automotive industries. This rigorous standard can be expensive to follow, especially if not run by experienced engineers. But where do you start without the required expertise?

TES Solution:

TES makes the entire DO-178B process available to its customers as a Turnkey Solution. When provided with an avionics component or Line Replaceable Unit (LRU), TES will develop, document, test, integrate, verify and support the certification of the device through the FA,A using our proven processes.

We are proud to be a certified Aerospace Quality Standard AS9100 facility. As an AS9100 certified company, which includes ISO 9001:2000, all our programs follow a mandatory audit schedule to ensure all requirements of the contract are being followed. TES staffs its own internal Quality Assurance (QA) department that ensures rigorous performance standards are maintained throughout the lifecycle of a project, as well as our company-wide processes. Our accounting system is Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) approved for Government work, and our property control management system is Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) approved. These certifications allow TES to provide quality services and products applicable to the development, maintenance, implementation, testing, validation and verification of embedded systems.

TES Capabilities:

Planning

TES has been through many planning stages while developing DO-178B projects. Our proven experience and document templates provide a streamlined process for all of the planning aspects required for certifiable software development through DO-178B, Levels A, B, and C.

TES experience with Safety Software Standards:

• ARINC 653 – Published standard for software partitioning through time and memory space
• ARINC 429, Mil STD-1553, ARINC 664 – deterministic and fault-tolerant communication protocols
• Time-Triggered Protocols

TES provides:

• Document Templates
• Certifiable Software Development Expertise
• 15 years Experience

Development

TES develops software using the Spiral model with DO-178B processes to ensure flight readiness and safety critical issues are managed throughout the lifecycle.

TES provides:

• Requirements management tools like IBM Rational DOORS^®
• Tools for Software Development, including compilers, OS environments, and Capability Driven Architecture (CDA, patent pending) rapid development, etc.
• Requirements, Development and Test Expertise
• Document Templates
• 15 years Experience

Verification

TES has performed so many verification projects that testing methodologies are part of our DNA. TES has performed internal and independent verification projects including unit test, system, open-loop, closed-loop, blackbox testing, ATP, board checkouts, integration, etc.

TES provides:

• Requirements management tools like IBM Rational DOORS^®
• Tools for Software Verification, including scripting, Programmable Control Test Station, CDA rapid development, structural coverage, etc.
• Test and Verification Expertise
• Document Templates
• 15 years Experience

Configuration Management

TES' Turnkey Solution handles all problem reports, changes and related activities, including archive and revision identification of project work products.

TES provides:

• Tools for Configuration Management (revision and archival, anomaly tracking, deployment management, etc.)
• Configuration Management Expertise
• Document Templates
• 15 years Experience

Quality Assurance

This process performs reviews and audits to show compliance with DO-178B. The quality assurance process also handles the interface to the certification authority.  TES provides:

• Quality Assurance Department dedicated to project quality
• Design Reviews, Code Inspections, and Internal Audits
• Tools for Quality Assurance, including Corrective Action/Preventive Action (CAPA) system, AS9100/ISO9001 processes, etc.
• Quality Assurance Expertise
• Document Templates
• 15 years Experience