Integrating Formal Methods in XP—A Conceptual Solution

Acm Sigsoft Software Engineering Notes, 2012

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the first FormSERA (Formal Methods in Software Engineering: Rigorous and Agile Approaches) workshop. We had a total of sixteen submissions, of which eight were accepted after a rigorous review procedure; leaving us with a paper acceptance rate of 50%.

1

2010

An integration of traditional verification techniques and formal specifications in software engineering is presented. Advocates of such techniques claim that mathematical formalisms allow them to produce quality, verifiably correct, or at least highly dependable software and that the testing and maintenance phases are shortened. Critics on the other hand maintain that software formalisms are hard to master, tedious to use and not well suited for the fast turnaround times demanded by industry. In this paper some popular formalisms and the advantages of using these during the early phases of the software development life cycle are presented. Employing the Floyd-Hoare verification principles during the formal specification phase facilitates reasoning about the properties of a specification. Some observations that may help to alleviate the formal-methods controversy are established and a number of formal methods successes is presented. Possible conditions for an increased acceptance of formalisms in software development are discussed.

ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes, 2012

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the first FormSERA (Formal Methods in Software Engineering: Rigorous and Agile Approaches) workshop. We had a total of sixteen submissions, of which eight were accepted after a rigorous review procedure; leaving us with a paper acceptance rate of 50%.

IEEE Software, 2000

Integrating formal specification and verification with development is faster and more Costleffective than doingthe steps separately or in parallel, as this effort showed.

Communications of the ACM, 2008

The software engineering community has devised many techniques, tools, and approaches aimed at improving software reliability and dependability. These have had varying degrees of success, some with better results in particular domains than others, or in particular classes of applications. A popular, although not uncontroversial, approach is known as formal methods, hereby a specification notation with formal semantics, along with a deductive apparatus for reasoning, is used to specify, design, analyze, and ultimately implement a hardware or software (or hybrid) system.

Annals of Mathematics, Computing and …, 2006

A software engineer depends on an estab- lished best practice toolbox in order to build quality prod- ucts. Extreme programmings practices tear away many well known techniques to aid developer efficiency; however this can mean that a project is poorly documented. This is a particular problem in our taught courses where all the developers leave on a yearly basis! Extreme X-Machines are a formal model that we have successfully introduced as a documentation method. As a lightweight and change resistant method it is easy to use, but it is also formalised allowing for a succinct and accurate representation of a software system. We have found that the developers benefit from both the description that they make of the software and any that are supplied as documentation during maintenance projects.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1985

11th International Conference on Advanced Technologies (ICAT’23) , 2023

Efficient, high-quality software systems embodying dependable methods are in high demand, which has led to a wide range of competitive market solutions. One effective technique that arguably has excelled above others is the Agile Software Development Methodology (ASDM). Agile approaches' capacity to produce software in a way that is flexible to changes is the main factor that makes them preferable. Scrum, a recommended Agile methodology, prioritises feature coverage and project structure. Because iterative methodologies encourage engagement from cross-functional teams, including consumers, Agile provides flexibility in responding to change. However, achieving methodological efficiency is insufficient while developing software; high-quality software should be achieved with equal consideration. Formal Methods (FMs), which are mathematically based techniques, can offer highly dependable software but suffer from a steep learning curve in mastering the underlying discrete mathematics and logic. This research investigates the extent to which FMs may be embedded in traditional Agile as embodied by Scrum. Future work in this area would be the development of a framework for embedding FMs in Scrum, followed by a survey among software practitioners to establish the feasibility of our technique.

ACM Computing …, 2009

Formal methods use mathematical models for analysis and verification at any part of the program life-cycle. We describe the state of the art in the industrial use of formal methods, concentrating on their increasing use at the earlier stages of specification and design. We do this by reporting on a new survey of industrial use, comparing the situation in 2009 with the most significant surveys carried out over the last 20 years. We describe some of the highlights of our survey by presenting a series of industrial projects, and we draw some observations from these surveys and records of experience. Based on this, we discuss the issues surrounding the industrial adoption of formal methods. Finally, we look to the future and describe the development of a Verified Software Repository, part of the worldwide Verified Software Initiative. We introduce the initial projects being used to populate the repository, and describe the challenges they address.