Can DITA facilitate the creation of documentation that aligns with DO-178C and DO-254 standards?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

DITA is well-suited for facilitating the creation of documentation that aligns with DO-178C and DO-254 standards in the aerospace industry. DO-178C and DO-254 are essential guidelines for the development and certification of safety-critical airborne systems, including software and hardware. DITA’s structured approach and flexibility make it a valuable tool for organizations aiming to comply with these standards.

One of the primary ways DITA supports DO-178C and DO-254 compliance is through its structured content models. DITA allows organizations to define specialized document types and topics that match the requirements of these standards. For instance, safety assessments, verification plans, and validation reports can be modeled as DITA topics, ensuring that content adheres to the specific requirements outlined in DO-178C and DO-254.

Furthermore, conditional processing in DITA plays a crucial role in tailoring documentation to different aircraft models and safety-critical contexts, a key requirement of DO-178C and DO-254. By using conditional elements and attributes, organizations can manage content variations and ensure that the documentation is contextually relevant to the specific system under development. This flexibility allows for efficient reuse of common content elements while tailoring documentation to meet the unique needs of each project, thereby aligning with DO-178C and DO-254 standards.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA’s structured content models can align with DO-178C and DO-254 requirements:

<!-- DITA topic type for Safety Assessment Report -->
<topic id="safety-assessment-report" domains="do178c do254">
  <title>Safety Assessment Report</title>
  <body>
    <section id="introduction">
      <title>Introduction</title>
      <p>This is the introduction section of the Safety Assessment Report.</p>
    </section>
    <section id="hazard-analysis">
      <title>Hazard Analysis</title>
      <p>Details of hazard analysis go here.</p>
    </section>
    <section id="safety-evidence">
      <title>Safety Evidence</title>
      <p>Evidence for safety compliance is documented here.</p>
    </section>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, a DITA topic type is specifically defined to meet the requirements of DO-178C and DO-254, providing structured support for safety assessment reports and aligning with the standards’ guidelines.