Complex Electronics Development Plan

The first step in creating any plan is to do so as soon as sufficient information is available. Don’t wait until the work is mostly done – plans should guide the work! The purpose behind planning is to get you to think about how you will develop, implement, and use the system, sub-system, or component you are creating. By planning up-front, you can avoid pitfalls you otherwise might not notice if you dive straight into the design. For example, what toolset should you use? If you pick the one available from the chip vendor, because it is easiest to select, you may not be aware of the kinds of errors it can produce during synthesis, or what constraints it will place on the design. Understand what is important to this project first, then select the tools and processes that enhance those important attributes.

The second step in creating a good plan is to avoid bureaucratic fluff. Use document templates as guidance, and only put in information that is useful (to the developer and to any reviewer). Tell how you will manage the development process. The level of detail should be sufficient to prevent an auditor from having to ask you “how do you do this” for every item. But try to find a balance between the level of detail and the complexity of the development. Work with the quality assurance engineer to ensure that the right amount of information is included.

The plans a project will produce depends on the NASA and Center requirements and the project complexity and safety-criticality. The content of the plans often vary between projects, with one project combining several documents and another producing separate plans. Don’t get hung up about which plan is which, but review the project plans for how they will address complex electronics. That said, the complex electronic management and development process needs to be documented, and a separate plan is the recommended approach.

The CE Development Plan should cover all phases of the development process and discuss the major activities that occur during specific life cycle phases as well as those that occur throughout the life cycle. The plan needs to identify the project external interfaces and constraints, the design flow, resources (equipment, software and personnel), the allocation of responsibilities, outputs to be produced and, finally, a schedule with milestones, decision points, and type and number of design reviews. Much of this information may be included in a project development plan. If so, the information does not have to be repeated, but pointers should be included back to those other plan.

The CE Development Plan should cover:

• Overview Information:
• Project overview that provides general information on the system design, system operations concept, and how the complex electronics fits into this larger picture.
• An identification (name) of the complex electronics and a description of the functions it will perform.
• The chosen CE device. Consider including the rationale for why this device was chosen. The rationale will be important if another device needs to be selected later in the project (for upgrades, because the device is no longer supported, or because of changes in other parts of the system).
• Management
• Development team personnel and assignment of major responsibilities.
• Schedule of the development process, with estimated effort and duration of each major task or phase, and the planned dates of milestones and review meetings. Try to tie this schedule to the master project schedule.
• Items produced (e.g. documents, design representation) as a result of the development process. Include how you will ensure that these items are of adequate quality (e.g. HDL coding conforms to an appropriate set of coding rules).
• Development
• Complex electronics criticality classification (high, moderate, or low). Include, or point to, the documentation that shows how this classification was determined.
• The design flow (design entry, synthesis, simulation, design verification methods, layout generation and verification, production tests, validation). How will the CE design flow interface with the project life cycle? What are the transition criteria between phases, and how do you return to previous phases if problems are found?
• Baseline approach for verification, radiation hardening, testability, production test (including fault coverage requirements) and design validation.
• How the CE development process will work with supporting processes, such as configuration management and problem reporting/corrective action. How will the design for complex electronics and any associated data be included in the CM system? What process will be used to review and approve revisions to the design?
• Identify how CE development fits in with overall project risk management
• Important details
• A list of standards (internal and external), procedures, and guidelines that is applicable to the CE development.
• Versions and platforms of tools to be used. Do the tools need to be qualified or otherwise assessed?
• If deviation from established plans becomes necessary, what is the process for doing this? For example, how will changes be approved by all interested parties?

The CE Development Plan should be a living document. It should be reviewed periodically, and updated to reflect the project reality. The plan should guide the development process. If you find the plan is just gathering dust somewhere, it needs to be reworked to become a useful tool.

While review and approval authority for the CE Development Plan may vary across Centers or projects, the table below shows the recommended reviewers and/or approvers for the CE Development Plan: