Agile Methods for Open Source Safety-Critical Software.

Area of Science:

• Software Engineering
• Computer Science
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Safety-critical systems demand high software reliability and correctness.
• Agile methods, like Scrum, are often deemed unsuitable due to perceived lack of documentation and formal techniques.
• Traditional software engineering models emphasize documentation and traceability over empirical process control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the assumption that agile methods are inappropriate for safety-critical software development.
• To demonstrate how agile processes can be adapted to include essential formal techniques for safety-critical systems.
• To present a case study of an open-source project successfully using agile practices in a safety-critical domain.

Main Methods:

• The study presents a case study of the Image-Guided Surgical Toolkit (IGSTK) project.
• IGSTK has employed agile practices since 2004, focusing on evolving code and adding process elements as needed.
• The project's adoption by hospitals and use in clinical trials serve as evidence of its success.

Main Results:

• Agile methods are flexible and can incorporate necessary formal activities like specification and requirements management.
• Agile methods emphasize continuous process management and code-level quality, potentially exceeding classic models.
• The IGSTK project demonstrates the successful application of agile practices in a safety-critical environment.

Conclusions:

• Agile methods can be effectively adapted for safety-critical software development.
• The flexibility of agile processes allows for the integration of essential formal techniques.
• The IGSTK case study provides evidence for reconsidering agile methods in safety-critical contexts.