Confidence in the Use of Software Tools (ISO 26262-8:2018 Clause 8)

Part 8 (Supporting Processes) of the ISO 26262 standard deals, as the name suggests, with processes that run alongside the underlying Functional Safety Life Cycle process outlined in Parts 2 to 7 of ISO 26262. These processes include a number of areas from the management of the interfaces between customers and suppliers in regard to the Functional Safety of supplied “Items”, to the comparison of the “Item” under development with existing “Items” already in production and in use, as a mechanism of agreeing compliance with the ISO 26262 standard.

The following will help you determine the criteria for validating a software tool in order to allow you to establish a compliant tool set for your development.