ISTQB Automotive Software Testing Glossary

About this topic

Source: ISTQB Certified Tester Automotive Software Tester (CT-AuT)

Automotive software testing operates under functional safety obligations that most software never faces, and uses a family of simulation environments unique to embedded systems. These terms come from the ISTQB Automotive Software Tester syllabus.

Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) classifies the risk of a hazard arising from a malfunction, from ASIL A (lowest) through ASIL D (highest), with QM denoting items requiring only standard quality management. The ASIL assigned to a function determines how rigorously it must be developed and tested, which makes it the single most consequential classification in the domain. It derives from the more general concept of a safety integrity level.

The XiL family describes where the software under test sits relative to real hardware. Model-in-the-loop tests the control model in simulation only. Software-in-the-loop tests the compiled software against a simulated environment. Hardware-in-the-loop connects the real electronic control unit to a simulated vehicle, allowing realistic testing without a physical car. Each stage trades fidelity against cost and speed.

Process maturity is assessed against Automotive SPICE, a domain-specific process assessment model derived from ISO/IEC 330xx. Hazard and risk analysis draws on established safety techniques — failure mode and effect analysis works forward from component failures to their consequences, while fault tree analysis works backward from an undesired event to its possible causes.

What this topic covers

• ASIL and safety integrity levels
• Functional safety
• Model-, software- and hardware-in-the-loop
• XiL test environments
• Automotive SPICE
• FMEA and fault tree analysis