Transitioning Assurance Case Technology to Production—an Experience Report

The software certification and approval process has long been a challenge in the
development lifecycle. Recently, under the auspices of DARPA, Lockheed Martin began
introducing technology poised to revolutionize the software approval process. This new
solution called ArcCert, starts at program inception and automates many of the manual,
tedious tasks involved in gathering and curating artifacts for presentation to certification
authorities. By making certification-relevant artifacts available throughout the entire
development process, ArcCert eliminates the last-minute, onerous documentation and
review push. The ArcCert tool suite processes software artifacts to create Digital
Assurance Cases (DACs) incrementally and continuously, running in parallel with LM
Aeronautics software pipelines to automate data-item generation (evidence), integration,
and to support review.

This presentation reports on ArcCert’s application to real industrial use cases and the
preliminary results observed in production environments. In pilot projects, ArcCert has
been deployed to support software certification against standards such as DO-178 and
Mil-Hdbk-516. The tool has demonstrated the ability to ingest artifacts largely
automatically, construct assurance cases, and provide real-time visibility into certification
progress. Users report reductions in the time and eVort required to prepare for certification,
along with improved collaboration and communication between development teams and
certification authorities. The adaptability of ArcCert is also being explored in other
disciplines, such as cyber and systems engineering.

As the platform continues to be refined and expanded, it is expected to profoundly improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of certification processes across Lockheed Martin,
reducing menial effort and amplifying the human ability to assess readiness. In this
presentation, we will also discuss some challenges and additional opportunities for
innovation, especially as we introduce Artificial Intelligence as an enabler.

Stephen Traub is a Software Certification Specialist for Lockheed Martin with 39 years of
experience in various aviation software roles. He has served as a software designer, tester,
developer, manager, and software block upgrade manager. During his software career,
Stephen managed several major development and modification programs for Lockheed
Martin. For the past 25 years Stephen has also served as a Designated Engineering
Representative (DER) representing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the ability
to approve software for all criticality levels. In a DER capacity, Stephen led the conducting
of ~100 software reviews and audits of Lockheed Martin software teams and Lockheed
Martin software suppliers. He has supported a wide variety of commercial programs as
well as military programs such as C-130J, C-5B, F-16, F-35, and US Navy shipboard
systems. Stephen has experience with a wide variety of software systems, tools and
languages and holds MBA from Kennesaw State University.

Mauricio Castillo-Effen is a Fellow at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
(LM ATL), where he leads the research area in Trustworthy AI and Autonomy (TAA). His team
focuses on developing solutions for deploying complex decision-making in high-criticality
applications, collaborating closely with Lockheed Martin’s Business Areas to address
challenges related to Verification, Validation, Test, Evaluation, and Certification. For over
20 years, he has served as Principal Investigator and contributor for multiple R&D programs
funded by DARPA, AFRL, NASA, and DHS, advancing the fields of autonomy, assurance,
and certification in the aerospace industry. He has a background in systems theory,
control, and estimation, with extensive experience in robotics and transitioning technology
to industry. He has also taught at multiple universities worldwide. He holds more than
twenty patents in robotics, autonomy, and air transportation. Mauricio received his Ph.D. in
Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida and holds M.Sc. and B.Sc.
degrees in EE, with a focus on controls.