Automotive SPICE Assessments in Safety-Critical Contexts: An Experience Report

Modern vehicles are definitely "software-intensive" systems (someone says "computers with wheels"). Software is now implementing and/or controlling a growing number of traditional functions as well as new innovative functions, made possible only by software. Software is also taking charge of functions traditionally controlled by the driver. It is not surprising that a growing number of these functions are "safety related" at various level of risk depending on the possible hazards they are related to. To face such a situation, the automotive community is adopting two standards addressing the way software-intensive systems are developed: Automotive SPICE and the Functional Safety standard ISO 26262. In this paper, starting from the experience of the author in leading Automotive SPICET Assessments in safety-critical contexts, the mutual influences between Automotive SPICE and ISO 26262 as well as the opportunities and challenges related to the need of comply with both of these standards are discussed and possible effective way to integrate them are proposed.