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Tool qualification is a mandated process for safety-critical software development. Parasoft’s Qualification Kits for Parasoft C/C++test automate the process of creating the supporting documentation required for tool qualification of static analysis, unit testing, and coverage requirements, reducing both the potential for human error and time taken to perform tool qualification.
Parasoft automates the creation of documentation required for qualifying Parasoft C/C++test for use in safety-critical industries by walking the user through an intuitive workflow and generating documentation that’s critical for demonstrating tool qualification.
The first step in Parasoft’s efficient workflow is selecting the specific use-cases and capabilities of Parasoft C/C++test being used in the software project, to reduce the overall scope of what needs to be qualified and streamline the qualification process.
Although the process of tool qualification cannot be 100% automated, the unique workflow of Parasoft’s Qualification Kits make it as painless as possible, reducing manual testing efforts and executing automated tests for selected use cases.
Tool qualification is mandated for organizations developing software for safety-critical applications, compliant with standards such as DO-178B/C (aerospace), ISO 26262 (automotive), IEC 62304 (medical), EN-50128 (railway), and IEC 61508 (functional safety). These standards require that organizations provide evidence that the software tools used to develop their code is suitable for use in the safety-critical application that it demands.
Parasoft supports DO-178B/C and DO-330 conformant qualification process with the automated tool qualification kit, for all of its software levels and Parasoft C/C++test is TÜV SÜD certified for standards ISO 26262 (automotive), IEC 62304 (medical), EN 50128 (railway), and IEC 61508 (functional safety) for all ASIL and SIL levels. No additional tool qualification is needed as the certificate provided is more than sufficient, nevertheless the option to perform a qualification by validation, using Parasoft’s automated tool qualification kit is always available.
Approving the tool for use is normally a documentation-heavy formal process, that requires time-consuming manual completion that is prone to human error. To solve this problem, Parasoft’s Tool Qualification Kits for Parasoft C/C++test include an automated tool wizard that automates the qualification process itself, guiding the organization through the qualification process and significantly reducing the tedious, error-prone manual effort of qualification. Read more below.
Parasoft’s Tool Qualification Kit leverages automation to guide users through the following workflow:
1. Specifying the use-cases and capabilities to be used on the project, reducing the scope of capabilities required for qualification.
2. Quickly mapping known issues in the tool you’re qualifying to the features of the tool you’re using in development and defining appropriate mitigation actions.
3. Planning and capturing the results of manual testing efforts, simplifying the management of manual efforts.
4. Executing automated tests, eliminating time and human error associated with capturing automated test results.
5. Bringing all the data together and generating the critical documents required to demonstrate tool qualification.
Yes! The Tool Classification Report determines the qualification needed and presents the maximum safety level classification for Parasoft C/C++test based on the use cases selected by the user.
The content of this document consists of four parts:
Yes! The Tool Qualification Plan document describes how Parasoft C/C++test is going to be qualified for use in a safety-relevant development project.
The applied qualification method is based on “tool validation,” and this document contains the description of the qualification processes – the basis for the standard compliance checks that have been performed and documented in separate documents.
Validation goals are derived from requirements of safety standards and from the critical potential tool errors identified for the tool’s use cases in the Tool Classification Report (TCR). The aim of tool validation is to provide sufficient evidence for the absence of these critical potential errors in the use cases of the tool.
Yes! The Tool Qualification Report document demonstrates that C/C++test has been qualified according to the Tool Qualification Plan (TQP).
Once Parasoft C/C++test has been qualified for use in a safety-relevant development project by the user, it can be used according to the Tool Safety Manual.
This document describes the qualification results:
Yes! This document describes how Parasoft C/C++test should be used safely, i.e. compliant to safety standards (DO-178B/C, EN 50128, IEC 61508, ISO 26262) in safety-critical projects.
The safety of tools is achieved within three steps:
In addition to the automated report templates (Tool Classification Report, Tool Qualification Plan, Tool Qualification Report, and Tool Safety Manual), the Parasoft Qualification Kit includes:
Spend less time on tool qualification and more time developing new features.
Parasoft’s Qualification Kits cover all capabilities of Parasoft C/C++test, meeting not only static analysis but also unit testing and coverage requirements for safety-critical software at the same time. Without this, users are required to individually qualify multiple tools across their toolchain, resulting in a significant duplication of effort.
Unlike the static Qualification Kits provided by other vendors, Parasoft’s Qualification Support Tool automatically generates appropriate reports based on which features and capabilities are being used in the software project. By focusing on the functionality important to the project, users can minimize manual documentation required, reducing the potential for human error in the preparation of the documentation.
When Parasoft releases a new patch of Parasoft C/C++test, users can quickly re-run the qualification against the build, and re-qualify the tool for use with minimal effort. This means that users can take advantage of updates and improvements to C/C++test without having to worry about all of the details of tool qualification all over again.