Balancing Agility and Compliance: Application of AHP Method in Game Theory for Regulatory Airborne Software Development

Abstract

This study introduces a theoretical framework grounded in game theory to model the interactions between software development and quality assurance teams during the creation of safety-critical airborne software. The selection of a development approach, whether traditional, agile, or hybrid, is a critical decision that significantly influences the production workflow and compliance outcomes in the regulatory software development. Within the framework, these interactions are represented as a non-cooperative, non-zero-sum game, where each team independently chooses strategies aimed at balancing regulatory compliance with development efficiency. To construct the payoff matrix and support multi-criteria decision-making, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is utilized, incorporating evaluation scores based on how well each development approach satisfies the DO-178C objectives across the four Stage of Involvement (SOI) reviews. The game-theoretic analysis identifies a hybrid development strategy as the equilibrium, offering an optimal balance in which both teams benefit by integrating agile practices with formal compliance processes, thus aligning flexibility with the stringent certification requirements of the aviation domain.