What we deliver
Independent reviews
Reviews of requirements, architecture, design and code against the standard and agreed checklists, with findings tracked to closure by the development team.
Independent test development
Requirements-based tests, including robustness cases, written by engineers who did not write the code and run on target or a representative environment.
Coverage and traceability analysis
Structural coverage, data and control coupling analysis and bidirectional traceability checks, with gaps reported to developers rather than fixed by the verifier.
Confirmation review support
Confirmation reviews of ISO 26262 work products at the required independence level, and evidence preparation for functional safety audits and assessments.
Verification reports
Verification results, review records, problem reports and a summary of open issues for the certification or safety file.
Where independence is required
| Standard | Independence requirement | Typical IV&V scope |
|---|---|---|
| DO-178C | Annex A marks the objectives that need independence; Levels A and B carry most of them | Reviews, requirements-based testing and coverage analysis by a separate verification team |
| DO-254 | Independent verification for DAL A and B hardware | Independent review of requirements and HDL, verification of test results |
| ISO 26262 | Confirmation measures (confirmation reviews, functional safety audit, functional safety assessment) with independence levels I0 to I3 graded by ASIL in ISO 26262-2 | Confirmation reviews of work products, independent testing on request |
| IEC 61508 | Functional safety assessment by an independent person, department or organisation, depending on SIL and consequence | Assessment support, independent verification of software and test evidence |
How we work
01
Agree the independence model
Record in your plans who verifies what, the reporting line, and how independence will be shown to the authority or assessor.
02
Baseline
Receive a controlled baseline of requirements, design, code and tools; verification works only from baselined items.
03
Verify
Review, test and analyse coverage, raising problem reports through your change process.
04
Re-verify
Check fixes and run regression against each new baseline.
05
Report
Issue verification results and a statement of the independence achieved for the certification or safety file.
How independence is organised
Independence is about who verifies and who they report to. Under DO-178C it can be met within one organisation if the verifier is not the developer of the item. ISO 26262 grades it from a different person (I1) through independence from the responsible team (I2) to independence from the responsible department in management, resources and release authority (I3). An external IV&V team gives the clearest separation and is often the simplest to show to an assessor.
In practice the IV&V team works from controlled baselines, raises problem reports through your change process and does not fix what it finds. Its lead reports to your quality or safety manager rather than to the development manager. Background: independent verification and validation, the V-model and DO-178C. Domain detail is on defence & aerospace testing and ISO 26262.
Toolchains our engineers work with
- codebeamer
- IBM DOORS Next
- Jama Connect
- LDRA
- Polarion
- Polyspace
- Rapita RVS
- VectorCAST
Related work
Case studies →Fuzz and penetration testing an industrial gateway for the Cyber Resilience Act and IEC 62443-4-2
A recurring security test cycle for an industrial gateway: fuzzing, penetration tests and SBOMs mapped to IEC 62443-4-2 and the CRA.
Planning MIL-STD-810H and MIL-STD-461 pre-compliance for an indigenised rugged subsystem
Tailoring MIL-STD-810H and 461 requirements, writing procedures, running pre-scans and preparing a rugged LRU for its accredited lab campaign.
Closing DO-178C structural coverage with independent verification for a DAL B component
Independent verification closes statement and decision coverage, coupling analysis and tool qualification for a DAL B software component.
Further reading
All insights →Building an engineering or test team for a mid-market GCC in India
Ramp waves, dedicated team vs Build-Operate-Transfer, governance and the measures that matter for a mid-market GCC's engineering or test team.
Euro NCAP 2026 ADAS Testing: What Changes for SIL/HIL Test Plans and Test Capacity
Euro NCAP 2026 multiplies ADAS test variations. How to restructure SIL/HIL plans around ISO 34502 and OpenSCENARIO, and plan the capacity.
Automotive Cybersecurity Penetration Testing for R155: Fuzzing, OTA and ISO/SAE 21434 Evidence
What R155, R156 and ISO/SAE 21434 test evidence suppliers need, and where fuzzing, penetration testing and OTA tests fit.
Frequently asked questions
When is independent verification actually required?
When the standard or contract says so. DO-178C requires independence for specified objectives, mostly at Levels A and B, and DO-254 similarly for DAL A and B. ISO 26262 requires independence for confirmation measures, graded by ASIL, rather than for all testing. IEC 61508 requires an independent functional safety assessment. Some customers also require IV&V contractually regardless of level.
Can verification be independent if it is done in the same company?
Often, yes. DO-178C accepts independence achieved by a different person within the same organisation, and ISO 26262 levels I1 and I2 can be met inside one team structure. I3 needs independence from the responsible department, and some IEC 61508 cases need a separate organisation. An external team is the simplest way to show independence where internal separation is hard.
What deliverables should an IV&V team provide for an ISO 26262 audit?
Confirmation review reports on the work products in scope, verification reports with test specifications, results and coverage, traceability reports, problem reports with status, and a statement of the independence level achieved. These are inputs to the functional safety audit and assessment, which are performed by the assessor your organisation appoints.
Who signs off DO-178C verification when it is outsourced?
The applicant. An IV&V team performs and records verification activities, but your organisation owns the plans, the Software Accomplishment Summary and the compliance statement presented to the certification authority. Your plans must describe the IV&V team's role, its independence and how its tools are qualified under DO-330 where needed.
Does IV&V slow development down?
It adds a review and test loop, but finds defects before audit or certification, where they cost more to fix. Running IV&V continuously against each baseline, rather than at the end, keeps the loop short. The IV&V team needs early access to requirements and plans so test development runs in parallel with coding.
Can IV&V engineers also work in our development or test team?
Not on the same items. An engineer who helps develop or fix an item cannot be its independent verifier. Many programmes split work by item or by role: the IV&V team verifies the safety-critical components while managed testing or placed engineers support the development team elsewhere.
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