Requirements-document-based prototyping of CARA software

• Published in: International journal on software tools for technology transfer 2004-05, Vol.5 (4), p.370-390
• Main Authors: Guan, Z., Berzins, V., Zhang, L., Floodeen, D., Coskun, V., Puett, J., Brown, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Medical equipment; Prototypes; Rapid prototyping; Software engineering
• ISSN: 1433-2779; 1433-2787
• DOI: 10.1007/s10009-003-0116-7

Computer-aided prototyping evaluates and refines software requirements by defining requirements specifications, designing underlying compositional architecture, doing restricted real-time scheduling, and constructing a prototype by using reusable executable software components. This paper presents a case study of the Computer Assisted Resuscitation Algorithm (CARA) software for a casualty intravenous fluid infusion pump and explores the effectiveness of performing rapid prototyping with parallel conceptualization to expose requirements issues. Using a suite of prototyping tools, five different design model alternatives are generated based on the analysis of customer requirements documents. Further comparison is conducted with specific focus on a sample of comparative criteria: simplicity of design, safety aspects, requirements coverage, and enabling architecture. The case study demonstrates the usefulness of comparative rapid prototyping for revealing the omissions and discrepancies in the requirements document. The study also illustrates the efficiency of creating/modifying parallel models and reason for their complexity by using the tool suite. Additional enhancements for the prototyping suite are highlighted. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]