Gap Analysis is commonly performed in the DO-254 world to ascertain the current “gap” in your DO-254 compliance activities and also to leverage existing work products. A DO-254 Gap Analysis should assess and analyze existing hardware lifecycle processes. DO-254 Gap Analysis should then identify, explain, mitigate risks,and recommend activities to yield compliance to DO-254. The purpose of this Gap Analysis (further detailed below), is to identify gaps, or shortcomings pertinent to DO-254.
A DO-254 Gap Analysis can potentially be done by your own personnel, including quality assurance, systems engineering, hardware design, and hardware test. If these personnel have DO-254 experience on at least a few successfully certified projects, and have developed Gap Analysis protocols per DO-254, then they can likely perform their own Gap Analysis. Otherwise, it is recommended that you procure outside DO-254 Gap Analysis services which are provided by several different independent services providers. When procuring DO-254 Gap Analysis services, be sure the provider has performed numerous DO-254 Gap Analysis projects for similar companies, and has full-time DERs employed who participate in the analysis. Click here to link to DO-254 Gap Analysis providers.
A DO-254 Gap Analysis should include the following activities:
- Assessment of current engineering approach as such pertains to DO-254 and DO-254, along with the best tool choices to develop this specific product
- Onsite analysis by senior avionics experts and/or FAA-certified Designated Engineering Representatives (DERs) of key personnel, plans, artifacts, work products, and strategies.
- Onsite explanation by the Provider of key DO-254 aspects, project management practices, common risks and risk-mitigation techniques.
- Detailed onsite and offsite analysis of artifacts against DO-254 Gap Analysis Checklists
- High-level analysis of engineering capabilities and work-products as they pertain to DO-254.
- High-level analysis of current hardware products (requirements, design, code, tests) for potential DO-254 re-use, defining those that can be re-used, those that cannot, and the best means of filling the “gap”.
- High-level recommendations of the best 3rd party COTs tools to be deployed to improve your schedule, costs, and efficiency; these tools include design & synthesis tools, modeling, tools, development environments (compilers/linkers, debuggers, etc), CM tools, traceability tools, and hardware test tools.
- High-level findings of DO-254 Gaps and strategies, and recommendations to fill these gaps
- Recommendations to optimize engineering activities for:
- Improved schedule performance
- Improved cost-effectiveness via reduced engineering expenditures
- Improved certification success