Strategies for Real-Time System Specification

This book introduce me on very important views on the requirements model and architecture model. Figure 1.2 "the total system life cycle" show me the "total design and testing of a system" not a "life cycle". But the design and testing are important on development of a system. The figure can show a cyclic process model on the development of a system. This is better than water fall model, V-model and W-model. In Chapter 6 "Finite State Machines" , Figure 6.6 State transition matrix is very useful on design and testing of a system. It is described as "Event"/"State" matrix. Figure 6.7 is "To State"/"From State" matrix as alternate form. In Chapter 14, there is a "full dicisiton table". Minimization are introduced to make a reduced decision table, refering "Sequential Machines and Automata Theory", Booth Taylor L. 1967 and " Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation", Hopcroft, John, and Jeffrey Ulman 1979. In Chapter 18, AFD, Architecture flow diagmrams are introduces like DFD(data flow diagrams) in chapter 2.

I have been using this book for the past 6 years at the Naval Postgraduate school to teach Systems Engineers about the HIPO formal methodology methods. It is the best available. It is strange that the students all give it a low rating as a textbook; but later after graduating call or E-mail that it is the best reference book they have.A lot of programs that were in trouble of failure have been saved by Managers and Systems Engineers who had the guts to apply HP when the chips were down.CheersOrin

This is a definitive book for complex system specification methods. The true test of these methods is evidenced in their staying power. I had the opportunity back in the early '90s to learn these methods from the late Imtiaz Pirbhai himself--their beauty is in their relative simplicity. The strength of the methods can be attributed to clear and concise "language" and nomenclature. The key to specifing and designing a "good system" is the ability to unambiguously express and communicate a model of the system. These tools provide just that. Two views of the system, the "Requirements Model" and the "Architecture Model" are the perfect complement to the iterative nature of complex system development. The book stops short of making the transition from software requirements to a software architecture. However, the methods, if applied correctly, can set the stage for either a "structured" or "object-oriented" software architecture approach. One weakness, based on experience, is applying the "User Interface" component of the "Architecture Template" to Graphical User Interface (GUI)-intensive systems, which tend to put the user in the center of the system's universe, rather than on the periphery.

This book is a magificient one. I have used this book throught my professional career at GM, UTC and DDC. It is precise and clear. It has good examples like Cruise control. The diagrams are clear. Fellow Michigander Mr. Hatley and Mr. Pirbhai have given an wonderful treatment. This bok is the basis for infamous Espirit consulting courses on Structured Analysis and Structured Design.What more can you ask for. Go for it. I wish they could come up with a newer edition. If they cannot then I will. (Mr. Pirbhai is no more).

Throw away all of your books on software and/or systems development and just buy this book. If you want to design a system (hardware or software) that you wish to be able to understand, modify, enhance or just operate properly, you need to look into the development processes that are explained in this book. This book contains the "holy-grail" process of systems development. It is not meant for everyone. Only those who wish to enlighten themselves with the one and only true method of system design need read this book. Methodologies for software and/or system specification development may come and go, this stuff is here to stay. This is a no-nonse, no-mumbo-jumbo, meat-and-bones book on the proper methodology for real-time system specification and development. I'm just so surprised that this book is not required reading for all engineers. If you want your systems to NOT be designed properly please don't read this book.