Towards industrially applicable formal methods: three small steps, and one giant leap

We discuss issues in the development of formal methods for use in aerospace applications, reflecting our experience in working with both Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace. We discuss some of the key factors which we believe govern the application of discrete mathematics to aerospace applications, drawing comparisons with applied engineering mathematics in other domains. We give an overview of three projects (the three “small steps”): the development of a domain-specific language for aircraft engine control system specification; the development of a formal semantics and tool support for state transition systems to facilitate analysis of specifications produced by systems engineers; the use of formalism in support of test automation. We then discuss the “gap” we see between the needs of industry and the current focus of the formal methods research community by pointing out important facets of industrial applicable formal methods which are not receiving adequate attention. We refer to this as a “giant leap” due to the need for a cultural shift in the research community and the need for a coherent approach to the identified research issues rather than piecemeal studies of the issues. Our conclusions are to be optimistic for the future use of formal methods in industry albeit with concern that their potential will not be realised unless there is a shift in emphasis within the research community?