LDRA - Tool Qualification Support Packs (TQSP)
LDRA offers a comprehensive and automated approach to meeting many functional safety and cybersecurity standards, and for software quality improvement. From a standalone rule checker to a portfolio of tools that integrates functional safety and security standards compliance into the software development life cycle, LDRA’s range of compliance products are sure to meet your needs.
Today’s complex software-based safety critical systems depend on software tools for automation and efficiency. “Tool qualification” is a generic term to describe a process designed to ensure that the risk of a tool error impacting the safety of a system is acceptably low – either because the errors are few, or because they cannot impact safety. Most functional safety standards define processes to achieve tool qualification by considering the application of the tool, and the environment in which it is deployed.
The application considerations are designed to ensure that the tool is used in such a way that potential errors are either avoided or detected. The environmental perspective looks to ensure that the installed tool works as part of the broader tool chain to which it contributes, building confidence and trust in the tool and its use.
All standards have a classification phase to establish the required confidence in the tool and a qualification phase that provides this level of confidence for some or all of its functionality. However, the classification and qualification methods differ in some details.
A TQSP is an optional module available for the LDRA tool suite. Each TQSP module provides artefacts and guidance to simplify the process of qualifying the LDRA tool suite for use as a verification tool in a project-specific environment.
SGS TÜV SAAR and TÜV SÜD are both independent certifying agencies who have evaluated LDRA’s development and testing practices and issued certificates for the tool suite verifying it is qualified to be used in safety-related software development. Their validation of LDRA tools is adequate assurance of their suitability for most projects.
For more demanding projects that require project specific tool qualification, TQSP modules greatly reduce the time and effort of qualifying the LDRA tool suite for use as a verification tool in a project environment. LDRA provides TQSPs for Programming Standards Checking, Structural Coverage Analysis, Data and Control Coupling and Unit Test.
Please contact us for a complete list of artifacts included with each TQSP. Most TQSPs include the following artifacts:
- Tool Verification Plan (TVP)
- Tool Qualification Plan (TQP)
- Tool Operational Requirements (TOR)
- Test Suite to show compliance with the TOR
- Tool Accomplishment Summary (TAS)
Many IEC 61508 derived standards functional safety standards demand a similar level of qualification but, particularly for the most critical applications, stop short of specifying exactly how that should be approached.
Exceptions include the ISO 26262 standard written specifically for the automotive sector and DO-330 written primarily with the aerospace sector in mind. There are LDRA technical briefings available to detail the use of the tool qualification processes as used in automotive and commercial aviation environments, respectively.
With the shortfall in advice offered by other standards in mind, many developers adopt the tool qualification processes laid out in ISO 26262 and DO-330 in other sectors, including IEC 62304 for example.