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External Regulation — Which Approach?

publish date: 2026/06/04 04:42:32.517131 UTC

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If a system must be approved by an external regulator such as the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and is critical to aircraft operation, which development approach is likely required and why?

Agile — because test-first development satisfies all regulatory requirements automatically

Plan-driven — because the regulator will probably require detailed documentation as part of the system safety case

Agile — because regulators always prefer faster delivery

Either — the choice of approach has no bearing on regulatory approval

Correct Answer

Plan-driven — because the regulator will probably require detailed documentation as part of the system safety case

Explanation

If a system must be approved by an external regulator (e.g. the FAA for aircraft-critical software), you will probably be required to produce detailed documentation as part of the system safety case. This favours a plan-driven approach, as agile methods minimise formal documentation.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 9th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Plan-driven and Agile Development