Open IMA development - how each role can help the others

Abstract

The development, certification and maintenance of an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) system is divided into distinct roles (as defined in DO-297) as follows: 1. Development (a) IMA System Integrator (b) Platform and Module Suppliers (c) Application Supplier 2. Certification (a) Certification Authority (b) Certification Applicant 3. Maintenance Organization. This paper focuses on the Development portion of an Open IMA system life-cycle, which is typically performed by several different companies. The number of people involved in developing an IMA system can reach into the thousands, making effective communication and prioritization of work between development roles and companies essential for meeting project deadlines and goals. This paper provides a set of recommendations from each of the IMA development roles, for how their development activities could be optimized by the actions (or development process) of those performing the other IMA development roles. These suggestions were drawn from GE Aviation's experience as an IMA System Integrator, Platform Supplier and Application Supplier on numerous Open IMA development programs.