Visualizing Change in Agile Safety-Critical Systems

Many organizations working in safety-critical domains are experimenting with agile methods, while organizations experienced in agile development are increasingly building cyberphysical systems, such as factory floor robots, unmanned aerial systems, and medical devices, often without sufficient knowledge or the necessary techniques to adopt appropriate hazard analysis and safety-assurance practices. These two trends emerging from opposite ends of the process spectrum are pointing to a new way of developing safety-critical software, which embraces the rigor of safety-critical development environments while experiencing the benefits of more incremental, faster delivery cycles made possible by agile solutions. The importance of using traceability to manage change in safety-critical software development has been broadly recognized, but has not yet been adequately addressed within agile projects.