MBtech News.

MBtech safeguards traceability for electronics development.

Thanks to PROVEtech:R2A software developers now have access to a flexible tool with a broad range of functions, which supports the process with the purpose of tracing requirements. Adapted to today's design processes and the developer's own way of thinking the software is also intuitive to use. These product characteristics are even more essential as traceability - tracing requirements - is becoming increasingly important in the development processes for embedded systems. Modern vehicles clearly demonstrate just how high the demands on an embedded system have now become: Fulfilling the strict consumption, pollutant and safety standards requires increasingly complex software systems in the vehicle. As such, it is essential to connect a constantly increasing number of vehicle control units with each other, which, in turn, have to function reliably and safely with the shortest possible reaction time. Up until now, obtaining traceability information has proven difficult, especially in the course of the transition between requirements and design creation; After all, this transition does not take place in a linear manner, but rather represents a creative transfer process from a problem to a solution, in which all of the previous decisions themselves form the foundation.

PROVEtech:R2A supports the software designer in the development process by closing precisely this gap between the requirement specifications and design. The new tool optimizes the developer's work, as it not only connects the existing software development tools with each other but also makes all of the design changes in every process step traceable. As a result, PROVEtech:R2A has proven itself to be a powerful instrument for both efficient project management and for quality assurance within the design process. “With the established PROVEtech tool suite we have concentrated on providing valuable support to the EE development process in the areas of integration and validation. Because the validation activities are increasingly being transferred to earlier process phases, this ultimately has a positive effect on the development costs and the product's maturity - even as it helps to meet the project deadlines up to the series launch," explained Dr. Nico Hartmann, Head of Electronics Tools & Equipment in MBtech's electronics solutions segment. PROVEtech:R2A will serve as an integration platform between software worlds - to put it simply as an intermediary. "Our goal is to closely mesh the individual stations within the product development process with the help of PROVEtech:R2A," stated Hartmann.

In addition to the options of a hierarchical design view and graphic effect analyses, PROVEtech:R2A also features an integrated decision-making model: It offers a tool-environment in which the requirements and design models can be combined with a variety of different decision-making types. The results of the decisions can, in turn, be modeled a software requirements which then makes them available for further decisions. On one hand, this improves the designer's communication with each other and, on the other hand, the requirements and decisions for design elements can also be passed on to sub-suppliers via an export function. This guarantees a largely redundancy-free supplier management with the lowest possible information loss.

PROVEtech:R2A already supports numerous requirement and development tools, including Telelogic DOORS®, ETAS ASCET SD, MATLAB® & Simulink® and Sparx Enterprise Architect. As part of the engineering service MBtech's electronics specialists also work to specifically adapt the traceability tool to both additional tools and the customer's own individual environment.