Using the spiral model to assess, select and integrate software development tools

Rather than having software tool assessment and selection be performed separately from the software development process, Boehm's (1988) spiral model of software development can be used to provide a framework within which tool assessment and selection can be systematically integrated into the software development process. The result is an incremental decision making/integration process which results in conservative (minimal, best-for-now) decisions which come under review each cycle through the spiral. This paper first describes the decision making/integration process. It then shows how the decision making/integration process has been used in the VETRONICS Simulation Facility project. The first three cycles through the spiral are described for the selection of a CASE tool, a prototyping tool, and an interprocess communication (IPC) tool.<>