The use of cleanroom methodology for knowledge based application development

To improve the quality of knowledge based system (KBS) applications, the use of a cleanroom software engineering methodology was explored. The methodology emphasizes the use of correctness verification to prevent errors early in the development process rather than “testing in” quality after the software has been coded. This calls for a design language and verification techniques to verify the correctness of the design. The authors discuss a design language, associated verification techniques, the cleanroom review process, and experience with their use in developing a knowledge-based systems application. These techniques were used in the development of a prototype flight replanner for use in future air traffic control systems. Experience from this project indicates that cleanroom methodology can be applied to improve the quality of KBS software with stable requirements