An integrated tool set for software safety analysis

Traditional methods for the assessment of software safety suffer from poor integration (from methodological, operational and semantic points of view) both with each other and with the rest of the development lifecycle of safety-critical systems. Our goal is to develop a set of methods and tools which address these weaknesses, and this paper describes our current research into these areas. We describe an integrated approach to software safety analysis based around the techniques of Fault Tree Analysis and Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis, together with a prototype toolset which will implement these techniques. Issues pertaining to the integration of safety analysis into a broader development lifecycle are also discussed. Our approach emphasises pragmatism and simplicity — we aim to create a set of tools and methods which are robust and straightforward, and are directly usable by industrial practitioners in the field of software safety.