Software Item
Section 08: Software Certification (DO-178C)
Definition
A separately identifiable part of a computer program that is a constituent of the airborne software. A software item is the unit at which software development assurance is applied — it has its own software level (DAL), its own set of lifecycle data, and its own compliance demonstration. A software item may be a complete standalone application, a partition in an IMA platform, or a distinct functional module with well-defined interfaces. Software items are identified during the software planning process and documented in the Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC).
Where This Shows Up
The software item is the fundamental unit of software certification management. Each software item has a software level assigned based on the failure condition analysis, and the DO-178C objectives for that software level must be satisfied independently for each software item. Breaking a large software system into multiple software items can be useful for managing different DALs within a single equipment, particularly in partitioned architectures.
Primary Sources
Defines software item and its role in the software lifecycle.
Related Terms
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