Techniques are disclosed for combining diagnostic features at different levels (with a special consideration of the application-oriented measures) though a quantitative analysis that provides evidence supporting a claimed diagnostic coverage (DC) calculation for circuits to meet defined functional safety standards. These techniques implement a parametrized approach to allow tuning by a system integrator according to its specific software application environment. The required safety level or DC goals may thus be attained based upon the results of the safety analysis (and failure rates) provided by a device manufacturer.