Applying process technology to hardware design

Abstract

We report on a case study of applying a two-tiered approach to model hardware design processes. First we use CCS and tools of the Concurrency Workbench to specify and rigorously analyse the dynamics of design processes. Then we transform the validated abstract process model semi-automatically into Marvel rules, objects and envelopes. The resulting executable model provides a process environment for the public domain collection of design tools, Alliance. The purpose of this experiment was to demonstrate that much of the effort currently spent for research under the headings “CAD frameworks” and “task and session management” could be saved by exploiting software engineering results, in particular the emerging software process technology.