DISTRIBUTED DESIGN OF COMPUTER‐BASED SYSTEMS: TRACEABILITY

Distributed computer‐based systems are complex due to their size, heterogeneous nature, and the dynamic interdependency of their components. Hardware and software are usually developed by a number of companies which the prime contractor and customer must rigorously monitor and control. Engineers and managers need traceability for control. They must trace requirements and design decision dependencies to create a complete and consistent design, to understand the impact of change, and to perform re‐engineering without introducing errors. Automatic compilation of software and silicon may eventually eliminate the need for traceability between formal specification and end‐product, but traceability will still be needed for tracing textual requirements and design decisions to formal specifications and test cases. This paper discusses the need for traceability, current practice and feasibility.