Concurrent Engineering of Real-Time Systems Through Heterogeneous Prototypes

Abstract

Summary form only. A heterogeneous prototype is an executable system model whose different parts may present different levels of abstraction (maturity), and yet they can be executed together as a total system. Abstract models may be presented by means of a graphical specification language whereas more mature physical models may be presented by programming language code. Heterogeneous prototypes can be used to support concurrent engineering. There may be several teams working simultaneously with different heterogeneous prototypes. Each of the teams may use relatively abstract models of the other parts of the systems as a testbed (environment model) for their own part, yet they can proceed developing their own part full speed by means of advancing the maturity of their part to the next abstraction level(s). Our approach addresses the future requirements of the software engineering process, overcoming increasing complexity and development risks and supporting flexible just-on-time product development: it improves communication by improving the visibility of the software engineering work, allowing user needs to be accommodated earlier and more accurately; it allows efficient development work structuring and allocation to concurrent development teams and individuals; it allows teams to use intermediate results from other teams for validating their own progress; and it strengthens the organisational infrastructure by providing better control over development time, subcontracting, and product quality elements