Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKSSystems are dynamic, constantly evolving with additional functionality and requirements. As they grow, however, they can become less efficient and more difficult to maintain. To counteract this, a longer-term strategy must be put in place to sustainably guide the evolution and safety of systems. For this, Fraunhofer IKS offers an evaluation of the system architecture as well as an analysis and adjustment of development processes for safety-critical software systems.
© iStock.com/urfinguss
System Evaluation and Engineering
Challenge: Managing System Complexity
- As a system grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage its complexity.
- There is a risk that the interdependencies within the system will become too difficult to manage, affecting the ability to integrate new components and maintain the existing configuration.
- Additionally, systems that provide safety-relevant services must always comply with established standards during the development process.
- If these issues are not addressed, the system will gradually become ineffective, negatively impacting an organization's performance.
Need: System Restructuring
- In addition to carefully considering how to integrate new functionality into a system, it is ultimately necessary to restructure it to restore its cohesiveness.
- A successful redesign requires a thorough evaluation and understanding of the current components, as well as a clear engineering vision for the new structure. This includes controlling, assessing, and potentially adapting the specific system requirements to reflect the new circumstances. This is particularly important for safety-critical systems.
- Without taking these factors into account, restructuring efforts may not pay off in the end.
Solution: Fraunhofer IKS Architectural Analysis and Strategy
There are two main phases to a successful system redesign. First, the current system architecture and structure must be analyzed to understand current bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Second, stakeholders must align their strategic vision for the system, including potential directions in which the system may evolve. With these two key pieces of information, the system can then be redesigned in the most beneficial way. When focusing on safety-relevant software systems, choosing the right development processes to support their further development is also crucial.
This is where Fraunhofer IKS steps in as a neutral external partner. The experts analyze your existing development process and your safety documentation according to established standards like IEC 61508 and recommend concrete next steps. The goal is a development process that meets safety requirements without limiting your development's ability to innovate. The offering for safe development processes includes:
- Workshops to gather information from stakeholders and from the existing development process, as well as to derive overarching goals and requirements.
- A results report that summarizes the analysis findings, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the current development process, along with next steps for improvement.
- Analysis of the safety process, which checks the safety documentation and process against standards like IEC 61508.
You can find more details in the one-pager Safe Development Processes for Cognitive Systems.