How high integrity systems can benefit from process-centered software engineering environments

The software process is the total set of software engineering activities employed in the production, assessment and certification of an operational software. High integrity systems (HIS), such as air traffic control systems, are usually associated with a complex software development process. This is both due to the complex requirements of such systems and due to the demand for sophisticated techniques to increase the reliability (safety) of the final product. The progress that has been made in the area of software process modelling and the provision of automated support for process enactment through process-centered software engineering environments (PSEE) offer a prospective solution for an effective monitoring and control of HIS processes. The authors point out the features of HIS processes that need to be reflected in software process models and their support mechanisms, as well as the benefits that HIS can get from PSEEs and present these features. An object-oriented PSEE that has been developed in the research is briefly described and the advantages of PSEEs for HIS processes are discussed, illuminated by the results of the research