Selecting the correct tools and methods for software systems development

The nature of the application and the required functionality of a software system should influence the choice of methods and tools used during development. The use of a formalised requirements specification method, HOOD and Ada may be considered appropriate for the development of a large, avionics control system, but less suitable for the design of simple protection logic on the factory floor, based on specialist languages and application kernels. When the choices are less obvious, how can the most appropriate methods and tools be selected to reduce the level of risk associated with the development of large software systems? The presentation looks at an approach developed under the MOD 2004 study programme, and reports on the conclusions of trial applications of the method and tool assessment guide developed during the programme