THRUST: A method for speeding up the creation of process-related deliverables

Certification of safety-critical avionics systems is an expensive and time-consuming activity due to the necessity of providing numerous deliverables. Some of these deliverables are process-related. To reduce time and cost related to the provision of process-related deliverables, in this paper, we propose to combine three approaches: the safety-oriented process line engineering approach, the process-based argumentation line approach, and the model driven certification-oriented approach. More specifically, we focus on safety-related processes for the development of avionics systems and we define how these three approaches are combined and which techniques, tools and guidelines should be used to implement the resulting approach, called THRUST. Advantages and disadvantages of possible existing techniques and tools are discussed and proposals as well as conceptual solutions for new techniques are sketched. Based on the sketched conceptual solutions, we then apply THRUST to speed up the creation of process-related deliverables in compliance with DO-178B/C.