Enabling software traceability

When a software system is delivered, the customer can only assess it by the symptoms exhibited during its acceptance tests. The executable code is uninspectable. The actual execution is for practicable purposes magic, while the inspectable sources are probably too voluminous and this is totally unacceptable for safety critical systems. In addition to acceptance testing a customer should therefore require evidence that it is at least possible to trace back from the released binary to the precise set of requirements it is claimed to meet and the implementation version it is claimed to be. The corresponding problem for the software developer is to conduct the manufacturing process so that the evidence can be produced. The author proposes the use of automated configuration control which can fully articulate the software manufacturing process. A stepwise traceability strategy is described and the use of a simple transform model is discussed