Requirements Framework for the Software Systems Safety Review Panel (SSSTRP)

Abstract

This paper describes the research and progress made during FY09 at the Naval Postgraduate School on a Software Systems Safety Review Panel (SSSTRP) Requirements Framework. Accomplishments made in FY09 include the discovery of the primary causes for the high level of vendor failure rates during the SSSTRP process. Research showed that the lack of structure associated with the vendor-provided Technical Review Package (TRP) led to inconsistent documentation and standards in the SSSTRP process of evaluating the vendor software safety risk. The development of a domain-specific Requirements Framework designed to work with the SSSTRP process will both help the vendor fully understand the measurable requirements for the TRP, and the SSSTRP members to understand the measurable standard by which the TRP is evaluated. This process should result in a reduction of SSSTRP failures. This paper further discusses the application of the NASA Software Safety Standard to Naval Weapons Systems development processes. This development is dependent on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software in order to meet deadline and cost requirements; however, this dependency poses a problem, as commercial programs are not commonly designed to a high standard for safety-critical applications. The NASA Software Safety Standard is one of the most robust software safety assessment standards that can be identified and, thus, provides an ideal basis for assessment of COTS software components for Naval requirements. This report identifies the portions of the NASA Software Safety Standard that are relevant to the assessment of COTS software and proposes a guideline of how these standards can be applied to the Naval weapons systems development. This discussion includes both an analysis of the standard itself and justification of the need for safety-critical applications within the Naval Weapons Systems development. It also includes a brief discussion of the program, and identification and application of the appropriate portions of the standard to Naval weapons systems development (including the identification of checklists and other features that must be integrated into the system). This report can be used to identify specific ways in which the NASA Software Safety Standard can be applied to Naval requirements, as well as to identify potential gaps in the standard that could be addressed by the Navy in an extension of this standard.