Derived Hardware Requirements
Section 09: Hardware Certification (DO-254)
Definition
Requirements that arise from the hardware design process itself and are not directly traceable to higher-level system requirements. Derived requirements emerge during conceptual design, detailed design, or implementation when design decisions introduce additional requirements that were not anticipated at the system level.
Where This Shows Up
Derived requirements are significant from a certification perspective because they represent design decisions that may affect safety without having been considered in the system safety assessment. DO-254 requires that derived requirements be identified, documented, and fed back to the system-level process for evaluation of their safety impact. Examples include clock frequency selection, power sequencing requirements, reset behavior, and built-in test features added at the hardware level. Failure to identify derived requirements can result in unassessed failure conditions.
Primary Sources
Section 5.1.2 — addresses derived requirements and the need to feed them back to the system safety assessment process.
Related Terms
Need help navigating certification?
Understanding the terminology is the first step. If you need expert guidance on DO-178C, DO-254, ARP4754B, or any aspect of FAA, EASA, or TCCA certification, our team is here to help.