Early automated verification of tool chain design

Abstract

Tool chains are expected to increase the productivity of product development by providing automation and integration. If, however, the tool chain does not have the features required to support the product development process, it falls short of this expectation. Tool chains could reach their full potential if it could be ensured that the features of a tool chain are aligned with the product development process. As part of a systematic development approach for tool chains, we propose a verification method that measures the extent to which a tool chain design conforms to the product development process and identifies misalignments. The verification method can be used early in tool chain development, when it is relatively easy and cheap to perform the necessary corrections. Our verification method is automated, which allows for quick feedback and enables iterative design. We apply the proposed method on an industrial tool chain, where it is able to identify improvements to the design of the tool chain. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.