DO-178C Online Training: SVP Setup & Verification Objectives (SW-CERT-120)

Course overview

Verification is where most DO-178C effort is spent. SW-CERT-120 explains how to set up a Software Verification Plan and meet the verification objectives efficiently.

It covers the types of testing and the review and analysis approach, and introduces the coverage analysis that demonstrates the requirements have been thoroughly verified.

What you will learn

• How to set up a compliant Software Verification Plan (SVP)
• The DO-178C verification process objectives
• Testing types and the overall verification approach
• Reviews, analyses, and test as complementary methods
• An introduction to requirements-based coverage analysis

Who should take this course

Verification engineers and software leads planning or executing DO-178C verification.

Recommended prerequisite: SW-CERT-110 — DO-178C SDP Setup & Development Objectives

Course outline

1. The verification objectives — what DO-178C asks you to demonstrate across requirements, design, code and integration.
2. Verification methods — reviews, analyses and tests, and how they complement one another.
3. Requirements-based testing — normal-range and robustness (abnormal-range) test cases.
4. The verification environment — setting up a credible test environment and addressing its differences from the target.
5. Coverage and independence — an introduction to requirements-based and structural coverage, and the independence higher levels require.

Why verification is the heart of a DO-178C program

Verification is where most DO-178C effort and most reviewer attention land. The standard expects you to show — through reviews, analyses and tests — that the software satisfies its high-level and low-level requirements, that the architecture is sound, and that the code is correct under both normal and robustness conditions. A Software Verification Plan defines how that evidence will be produced: the methods, the test environment, the coverage strategy and the independence applied at each step.

The most common cause of verification overruns is treating it as an end-of-program test campaign rather than a planned, requirements-driven activity. When the verification approach is matched to the software level from the start — including how requirements-based test results feed structural coverage analysis — the evidence is defensible and the program avoids late surprises at SOI #3. This course shows how to plan that approach deliberately.

What you will be able to do afterward

After SW-CERT-120 you will be able to build a compliant Software Verification Plan, choose the right mix of review, analysis and test for each objective, plan normal and robustness testing, and set up coverage and independence so your verification evidence holds up under audit.

How this course fits your certification path

SW-CERT-120 verifies the development data planned in SW-CERT-110 and leads into SW-CERT-200 (Structural Coverage) and SW-CERT-240 (Data & Control Coupling). For more on the standard, see our DO-178C explained guide. Prefer instructor-led? Explore our full DO-178C training courses.

How on-demand training works

Every ConsuNova module is delivered online and self-paced, so you can learn on your own schedule. Each purchase includes 30-day access with unlimited views and downloads for one user, and a certificate of completion is issued automatically when you finish the module.

Your instructors

This module is authored and delivered by ConsuNova’s senior certification authorities, giving you both FAA and EASA perspectives on compliance:

Reza Madjidi FAA DER Consultant

Provides FAA Designated Engineering Representative expertise on U.S. avionics certification.

Martin Beeby EASA CVE Authorized

Brings EASA Certification Verification Engineer authority on European avionics compliance.

Frequently asked questions