A system for reliable engineering software

Much of the software developed to support engineering design calculations is produced by persons whose primary skill is not that of computer scientist. Software validation techniques suitable for use by these engineer-programmers have been under investigation by the Navy as part of a project designed to increase the reliability, usability, and portability of engineering design software. This paper describes the goals and results of the project and describes the software validation process which was developed. A software validation tool which was produced during the project is described and compared with several other tools. Some areas for further work are suggested.