Author(s)

P. Lundy & D.W. Bustard

Abstract

Making formal methods work: what is being done and what can be done P. Lundy & D.W. Bustard Department of Computing Science, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, BT52 ISA, Northern Ireland, UK ABSTRACT Despite the apparent advantages offered by formal methods, industry has been very slow to take on the techniques involved. This paper attributes some of this reticence to a lack of clear guidance on where and how formal methods fit into the software engineering process. The paper distinguishes between formal methods - techniques for modelling and reasoning about systems mathematically - and a formal development process - a defined process for specifying, constructing and maintaining software using formal techniques. The application of formal methods in a development process are discussed and examples of a few of the industrially-oriented processes currently in use are described. These are: (i) RAISE; (ii) Cleanroom; and (iii) the formal specification of classes in objec

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