Functional Safety Concept
Turn HARA safety goals into a complete functional safety concept: safe states, fault reactions, degradation strategies, and FSR development - taught with synchronized video, interactive diagrams, and a complete ESC case study.
- Chapters
- 13
- Chapters
- Interactive diagrams
- 9
- Interactive diagrams
- Case study
- 1
- Case study
- Video
- 2h
- Video
Why it pays for itself
From safety goals to real requirements
The step-by-step process chapters show how to turn HARA safety goals into a complete, allocated FSR set - with the traceability matrix that proves nothing was dropped along the way.
Timing budgets that survive review
FTTI, FDTI, FRTI, FHTI, and EOTTI are where FSC reviews get uncomfortable. The interactive timing model with ESC example values teaches you to build budgets you can actually defend.
A complete free course with video
This is the free flagship concept: all 13 chapters, 9 interactive diagrams, and 2 hours of scroll-synchronized video are available with a free account, so you can evaluate the platform on a full course.
What you’ll be able to do
Derive safety requirements
Turn HARA safety goals into complete, verifiable functional safety requirements with correct attributes and clean allocation.
Define safe states and timing
Design safe states, degradation modes, and warning concepts, and calculate FTTI/FDTI timing budgets that hold up in review.
Build fault-tolerant architectures
Apply redundancy patterns, voting schemes, and CCF prevention to meet the integrity and availability needs of high-ASIL systems.
Write a complete FSC document
Structure and deliver a real FSC with full traceability from safety goals to FSRs, using the ESC case study as your template.
Chapter by chapter
- 01
What and How to Develop a FSC
Understand what a functional safety concept is, its purpose and key components, and its critical position in the ISO 26262 V-model between the HARA and the technical safety concept.
- V-Model diagram
- FSC definition
- Key components
- 02
Step-by-step Process
Follow a systematic, iterative process from safety goals to a complete set of functional safety requirements, with a process flow diagram, input/output mapping, and iteration guidance.
- Process flow diagram
- Input/output mapping
- Iteration guidance
- 03
Technical Foundations
Master the ISO 26262 timing model including FTTI, FDTI, FRTI, FHTI, and EOTTI with interactive diagrams, plus operating modes and precise safe state definitions.
- Timing model diagram
- Operating modes
- Safe state definitions
- 04
Fault Avoidance & Tolerance
Learn fault avoidance, fault tolerance, and fail-operational versus fail-safe strategies, including redundancy patterns, voting schemes, and common cause failure prevention for safety-critical systems.
- Redundancy patterns
- Voting schemes
- CCF prevention
- 05
Warning & Degradation Strategy
Design effective driver warning systems and graceful degradation strategies for fault conditions, covering warning levels, the degradation timeline, and realistic driver takeover expectations.
- Warning levels
- Degradation timeline
- Driver takeover
- 06
FSR Allocation & Architecture
Allocate functional safety requirements to preliminary architecture elements with proper ASIL allocation and decomposition, interface requirements, and an interactive system architecture diagram.
- Architecture diagram
- ASIL allocation
- Interface requirements
- 07
Traceability Matrix
Establish complete traceability from safety goals through functional safety requirements to implementation and verification, with traceability patterns, coverage analysis, and gap identification.
- Traceability patterns
- Coverage analysis
- Gap identification
- 08
External Measures & Technologies
Integrate external safety measures, SEooC interfaces, and technology-specific considerations, including external dependencies and how technology choices influence the shape of your functional safety concept.
- SEooC integration
- External dependencies
- Technology assessment
- 09
Verification & Validation
Plan and execute verification activities that confirm FSC completeness, consistency, and correctness, using review checklists, suitable verification methods, and the evidence your assessor expects.
- V&V methods
- Review checklists
- Evidence requirements
- 10
Common Pitfalls
Avoid common FSC development mistakes with real-world examples, recurring anti-patterns, and corrective actions, so your concept survives reviews and functional safety assessments the first time.
- Anti-patterns
- Case studies
- Prevention strategies
- 11
Best Practices & Tips
Apply industry best practices for efficient, compliant, and maintainable FSC development, including pro tips, efficiency techniques, and quality guidelines collected from real safety programs.
- Pro tips
- Efficiency techniques
- Quality guidelines
- 12
Practical Example
Work through a complete ESC (Electronic Stability Control) functional safety concept from start to finish, from safety goals and safe states to a complete, traceable FSR set.
- ESC case study
- Complete FSR set
- Real-world application
- 13
Expand Your Knowledge
Access related ISO 26262 processes, work product templates, and knowledge tests to consolidate what you learned and continue into the technical safety concept phase.
- Related processes
- Templates
- Knowledge tests
Not just text: the visual toolkit
V-Model diagram
Interactive visualization showing the FSC position in the ISO 26262 development lifecycle with clickable stages.
Timing model diagram
Animated FTTI, FDTI, FRTI, and FHTI timeline with ESC example values and timing scenarios.
Operating modes state machine
Interactive state machine showing mode transitions: initialization, normal, degraded, emergency, and off.
Safe state flow diagram
Flowchart illustrating safe state transitions with static and dynamic safe state examples.
Functional redundancy diagram
Visual representation of redundant functional paths and single-fault tolerance architecture.
Architecture diagram
ESC system architecture view showing FSR allocation to elements and interface definitions.
CCF prevention diagram
Common cause failure analysis and prevention strategies visualization.
Degradation timeline
Timeline showing a graceful degradation sequence with warning escalation.
FFI zones diagram
Freedom from interference spatial and temporal partitioning visualization.
ESC (Electronic Stability Control) case study
The full FSC method is applied step by step to an Electronic Stability Control system, from system architecture and timing budgets to operating modes and a complete functional safety requirement set.
- ESC system block diagram - sensors, main ECU, actuators, and warning channels
- Timing model with ESC example values against a 200 ms FTTI budget
- Operating modes state machine - initialization, normal, degraded, emergency, off
- Safe state selection and degradation strategy with driver warning escalation
- Complete FSR set derived from ESC safety goals with full traceability
Unlock in course
Who this guide is for
- Engineers writing their first functional safety concept from HARA outputs
- System engineers who must define safe states, warnings, and degradation strategies
- Safety managers reviewing FSR quality and traceability before an assessment
- Newcomers who want one complete, free ISO 26262 course before choosing a plan
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Functional Safety Concept
Start the course today
A free account unlocks one full concept guide, 3 work product templates, 1 guided process, the Markov simulator, and 5 practice exams per month - plus 2 hours of course videos for registered users. The Pro and Expert plans unlock more of the 77-guide library. No credit card required.