Trade-off analysis for different architectures of safety-critical systems

Abstract

Trade-off analysis offers the possibility to make design decisions transparent. Systems were designed according to previously defined requirements. If the systems can meet the requirements, possible solutions are identified. With the use of trade-off analysis, the solutions can be evaluated with regard to the degree of fulfillment of the requirements. Considering various requirements regarding functionality, safety, costs and risks, it is easy to understand that these are difficult to compare with one another. However, the trade-off analysis has to face this challenge and find a method by which a system design can be selected as a solution. The paper will show the scalability of the method so that it can be applied to evaluate system solutions by considering also safety requirements. By using a practical example, it will be shown how the classical trade-off approach can be extended.