scope:

This document is for use by avionics equipment and systems manufac¬turers, installers and users. It may be used to support initial Type or Supplemental Type Certification programs (for installation approvals), or TSO authorization programs (for equipment appro¬vals), or any other approved certification process. This document is also valid for post-modification re-certification of equipment or systems throughout their operational lives. It is not, however, valid for use in the development and management of user-selectable data bases such as an airborne navigation system data base.

a Overview of Software-Based System Development and Approval (Section 5.0) - Describes the categorization of equipment and systems function criticality, provides guidance on software level selection, and introduces Section 6.0.

b Guidelines for Software Development. Verification and Valida¬tion (Section 6.02)  Describes techniques and methods which an applicant for certification may use to plan the overall software activities associated with the software level and the criticality category to which the equipment or system will be certificated. This section also covers the range of system/ software requirements, development planning and testing from which specific certification packages may be defined.

c Software Configuration Management and Quality Assurance Disciplines (Section 7.0) - Provides configuration management and quality assurance guidelines, together with guidelines for identification of units and systems for control and tracking of changes based upon the established software levels, criticality categories and equipment application.

Documentation (Section 8.0) - Recommends documentation to support certification and post-modification re-certification.

This document addresses certification and re-certification-related documentation. I.t does not define the documentation needed by aircraft operators to support digital computer-based equipment and systems.

To ensure that all readers have a common understanding of the terms used in this document, a glossary of terms is provided in Section 4.0.