Bridging Certification and Agile Development in Safety Critical Airborne Software: An Incremental DO-178C Assurance Framework

Abstract

Iterative development methods are increasingly adopted in safety-critical airborne software programs to address growing system complexity and evolving integration needs. At the same time, certification requires strict adherence to DO-178C assurance objectives [1][2].
Although DO-178C does not mandate a specific lifecycle structure, certification activities are frequently executed using milestone-oriented processes [1]. This introduces structural misalignment with incremental development, often leading to delayed compliance evidence, increased rework, instability in verification artifacts, and uncertainty during certification reviews [7][9].
This paper proposes an Incremental Assurance Framework that integrates certification objectives directly into iterative workflows. The framework is based on three key elements: progressive fulfillment of assurance objectives, disciplined handling of change impacts, and explicit maintenance of verification independence.
A four-level Agile–Certification Maturity Model is also presented to describe how organizations evolve toward sustained certification readiness. A representative scenario is used to illustrate improvements in trace consistency, reduced review disruption, and enhanced predictability of certification outcomes.
The results indicate that certification activities can be performed continuously alongside development while maintaining the rigor required for airborne software approval.