Perforce ALM Achieves ISO 26262 Certification

We’re pleased to announce that Perforce ALM (formerly Helix ALM) has achieved ISO 26262 Functional Safety Process Certification by internationally accredited certification body TÜV SÜD. This certification covers all areas of our ALM solution, including requirements management, test management, issue management, and reporting.  

With ISO 26262 certification, Perforce ensures that our ALM solution meets the strict safety and reliability standards required for developing automotive systems. Additionally, it reinforces our commitment to supporting innovation for sectors beyond automotive that must meet and prove compliance with the highest safety, quality, and reliability standards.

Let’s look more closely at the relationship between ISO 26262 and ALM and how it might impact your DevOps and compliance workflows.  

What is ISO 26262 and Why Does Perforce ALM's Certification Matter?

ISO 26262 is an internationally recognized benchmark that sets a universal standard for functional safety for automotive vehicles, with an emphasis on the interaction between hardware and software components. It is a risk-based standard intended to minimize potential hazards caused by malfunctions in increasingly complex automotive electric and electronic systems (E/E systems).  

ISO 26262 provides a process for reducing risk, as well as specifying traceability and documentation requirements and providing guidance on software tool qualification.  The aim of tool qualification is to provide evidence that a given software tool is suitable for use in safety-related software and systems development.  

Perforce ALM’s ISO 26262 certification allows teams to accelerate their own ISO 26262 certification and streamline regulatory compliance, knowing their ALM solution is certified for safety-critical workflows. 

ISO 26262 and ALM

ISO 26262 certification for an application lifecycle management solution like Perforce ALM goes beyond compliance to elevate risk management capabilities. It provides businesses with a trusted solution that ensures continuous traceability, minimizes human error, and streamlines compliance. Because functional safety systems rely heavily on ALM systems for detailed compliance documentation, seamless traceability and structured validation processes are crucial.   

• Automated Traceability and Documentation: Even small changes can have significant impacts on compliance in safety-critical systems. Create traceability links between requirements, manual and automated test cases, and issues (even if you’re tracking issues in Jira), so that safety requirements are automatically documented and verifiable at every stage of development. You’ll have complete and auditable proof of compliance for all certification bodies.
• Risk Management: Perform risk assessments, including FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), at each phase to identify potential failure modes and mitigate them early in the development lifecycle. This shift-left approach reduces the likelihood of issues during deployment, prevents costly recalls, and increases system reliability.
• Proactively Manage Change: Effectively controlling and tracking change is critical to maintaining functional safety. Perforce ALM’s impact analysis capabilities provide a systematic approach for evaluating changes. Impact analysis reports make it easy to assess the impact and risk of any change before it is made, to ensure compliance with safety requirements. 

Perforce’s ISO 26262-certified ALM solution simplifies your organization’s ability to meet safety standards. It makes compliance verification easier, less error-prone, and more cost-effective, accelerating your time to market without compromising quality, safety, or reliability.

ISO 26262: Beyond Automotive Development 

Although rooted in automotive manufacturing, ISO 26262’s principles resonate with any domain where software and hardware integration pose risks to human safety. Traceability, efficiency, and scalability are key in these industries: 

• Aerospace and Defense: While aerospace companies must adhere to specific standards like DO-178C, ISO 26262 provides an invaluable foundation, complementing these standards to ensure greater system integrity for high-risk environments.
• Medical Devices: Medical devices require the highest levels of safety and reliability to ensure optimal healthcare. Following ISO 26262 principles can help prevent failures in devices like ventilators, infusion pumps, pacemakers, or robotic surgery systems.
• Industrial Control and Automation: Industries like manufacturing, utilities, and transportation depend on interconnected robotics for precision, efficiency, and safety. ISO 26262 offers guidance for systems that must handle large datasets while maintaining flawless functionality.
• Consumer Electronics: From smart home devices to IoT-enabled innovations, safely integrated hardware/software systems are critical. When failures could jeopardize user safety or privacy, ISO 26262-compliant development flows provide preventive checks. 

Aligning with ISO 26262 fosters a mindset of safety and quality across business operations. By implementing functional safety principles like traceability, FMEA, and risk analysis & mitigation, you’ll elevate your organization's reputation and trustworthiness.  

Struggling with ISO 26262 Compliance Verification? 

Our Managing ISO 26262 Software Compliance white paper is a must-read for development teams who need to comply with the ISO 26262 standard, from automotive to autonomous systems, aerospace, and beyond. Learn 7 Steps to accelerate compliance — including requirements traceability — and how Perforce ALM can help. 

GET THE WHITE PAPER 

Get Started with Perforce ALM 

Perforce ALM is a trusted tool for organizations in any highly regulated industry looking to streamline their development process. With ISO 26262 certification baked in, businesses can benefit from its comprehensive traceability and automatic compliance documentation in the automotive sector and beyond. 

With Perforce ALM, you can confidently get your products to market faster while easily proving compliance with all current and emerging industry regulations. Check out our free 20-minute demo to see how traceability happens automatically with Perforce ALM: 

WATCH DEMO