Domain-specific standards and guidelines play a crucial role in regulating safety-critical systems, with one notable example being the DO-178C document for the aerospace industry. This document provides guidelines for organisations seeking to ensure the safety and certification of their software systems. This paper analyses the DO-178C document within the context of software development for safety-critical aerospace systems focusing on Agile software development, aiming to assess its feasibility. Unlike restricting specific development methods, DO-178C offers indispensable support that upholds confidence in safety, aligning seamlessly with the objectives of aerospace industries. Our analysis reveals that there are no limitations or restrictions within the DO-178C that inhibit the adoption of Agile and provides guidelines and objectives for achieving suitable evidence, allowing for various working methods, including Agile methods, contrary to the overall opinion in the industry that the traditional waterfall method is mandatory. Additionally, we emphasise that the guidelines explanation is explicitly tailored to software professionals using Agile methods, giving it a much more specific focus than publications that only provide a generic overview of the standard.

翻译：领域特定标准与指南在规范安全关键系统方面发挥着关键作用，其中航空工业的DO-178C文件是一个典型案例。该文件为组织确保其软件系统的安全性和认证提供了指导。本文在安全关键航空航天系统软件开发背景下，聚焦敏捷开发方法，对DO-178C文件进行分析，旨在评估其可行性。与限制特定开发方法不同，DO-178C提供了维持安全信心的必要支持，与航空工业的目标无缝契合。我们的分析表明，DO-178C中不存在阻碍采纳敏捷开发的限制或约束，并为获取适当证据提供了指南与目标，支持包括敏捷方法在内的多种工作方式，这与业界普遍认为必须采用传统瀑布方法的观点相悖。此外，我们强调该指南的解释明确针对使用敏捷方法的软件专业人员量身定制，其聚焦程度远超仅提供标准通用概述的出版物。