Requirements analysis and specification of embedded systems using ESCAM-a case study

A description is presented of the experience gained using ECSAM, the embedded computer systems analysis method and STATEMATE, a tool for computer-aided software and systems engineering (CAS²E), in the analysis and specification of the requirements of a project. The project involves a comprehensive enhancement of an existing electrooptic system which requires modifying its conventional electronics into an embedded computer system. This was the first time ECSAM was used with STATEMATE to perform a complete system analysis. The constraints imposed by the existing system architecture and behavior characteristics added further difficulties to the project. The experience acquired in this project shows: that significant benefits can be gained by applying a well-defined methodology and a supporting CAS²E tool to the analysis of embedded computer systems, that the earlier in the life cycle of a project they are used, the better and that the attempt to use a CAS²E tool without a supporting methodology is useless and may lead to unnecessary complications