Real-Time Agility: The Harmony/ESW Method for Real-Time and Embedded Systems Development [Paperback]

Bruce Powel Douglass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0321545494 | ISBN-13: 978-0321545497 | Edition: 1

Real-time and embedded systems face the same development challenges as traditional software: shrinking budgets and shorter timeframes. However, these systems can be even more difficult to successfully develop due to additional requirements for timeliness, safety, reliability, minimal resource use, and, in some cases, the need to support rigorous industry standards.

 

In Real-Time Agility, leading embedded-systems consultant Bruce Powel Douglass reveals how to leverage the best practices of agile development to address all these challenges. Bruce introduces the Harmony/ESW process: a proven, start-to-finish approach to software development that can reduce costs, save time, and eliminate potential defects.

 

Replete with examples, this book provides an ideal tutorial in agile methods for real-time and embedded-systems developers. It also serves as an invaluable “in the heat of battle” reference guide for developers working to advance projects, both large and small.

 

Coverage includes

• How Model-Driven Development (MDD) and agile methods work synergistically
• The Harmony/ESW process, including roles, workflows, tasks, and work products
• Phases in the Harmony/ESW microcycle and their implementation
• Initiating a real-time agile project, including the artifacts you may (or may not) need
• Agile analysis, including the iteration plan, clarifying requirements, and validation
• The three levels of agile design: architectural, mechanistic, and detailed
• Continuous integration strategies and end-of-the-microcycle validation testing
• How Harmony/ESW’s agile process self-optimizes by identifying and managing issues related to schedule, architecture, risks, workflows, and the process itself

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Regardless of your perceptions of Agile, this is a must read! Douglass’s book is a powerful and practical guide to a well-defined process that will enable engineers to confidently navigate the complexity, risk, and variability of real-time and embedded systems—including CMMI compliance. From requirements specification to product delivery, whatever your modeling and development environment, this is the instruction manual.”

—Mark Scoville, software architect

 

“This book will provide you with the framework of agile development for real-time projects ranging from embedded systems to web-based, data collection applications. I wish I had this book three years ago when we began a real-time, embedded drilling control system project, but all my engineers will be getting copies now that it is available. And, for my academic colleagues, this is the perfect book for graduate seminars in applied software development techniques.”

—Don Shafer, chief technology officer, Athens Group; adjunct professor, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

 

“We have used Dr. Douglass’s books on real-time (Doing Hard Time, Real-Time UML, and Real-Time Design Patterns) for years. His books are always informative, accessible, and entertaining. Real-Time Agility continues that tradition, and I can’t wait to introduce it to my colleagues.”

—Chris Talbott, principal software designer

 

“Until now, agile software development has been mostly applied within the IT domain. This book breaks new ground by showing how to successfully traverse the perceived chasm between agility and real-time development. Although embedded systems impose challenging constraints on development teams, you can always benefit from increasing your agility.”

—Scott W. Ambler, chief methodologist/Agile, IBM Rational; author of Agile Modeling

About the Author

Bruce Powel Douglass is chief evangelist for IBM Rational, a leading producer of tools for real-time systems development. He contributed to the original specication of the Unified Modeling Language and is former co-chair of the Object Management Group’s Real-Time Analysis and Design Working Group. He consults to many companies and organizations on building both small- and large-scale, real-time, safety-critical systems. He is the author of several books showing how to apply software development best practices in real-time and embedded systems development, including Doing Hard Time, Real-Time UML, Real-Time Design Patterns (all from Addison-Wesley) and Real-Time UML Workshop for Embedded Systems (Elsevier).

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (June 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321545494
• ISBN-13: 978-0321545497
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Although I was raised by wolves in the forests of Oregon, I got my doctorate in Neurocybernetics from the USD Medical School in 1984. In the old days, I played classical guitar, ran triathlons, fought as a light heavyweight in full-contact Tae Kwon Do (in which I have a black belt), and occassionally created mathematical methods for studying information processing in biological neural systems. Now I am the Chief Evangelist for IBM Rational, spreading joy and technology as I travel the globe. I've contributed to a number of standards - such as UML and SysML - and consult with high-tech embedded developers all over the world building everything from cardiac pacemakers to next-generation space craft. I'm writing more technical books and have started a novel. Oh yes - having never learned to duck effectively, now I only fight inanimate objects that don't hit back!

In addition to the above, I've authored the DoDAF profile for the Rhapsody tool and a safety analysis profile for UML. I'm work actively in the modeling and real-time communities, speak at many conferences, and consult. If you're interested in some consulting, feel free contact me.

I can be followed on Twitter @BruceDouglass or you can join the Real-Time UML yahoo tech site at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT-UML/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Examples pack a survey that can serve as a tutorial as well as a developer's reference guide, June 15, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real-Time Agility: The Harmony/ESW Method for Real-Time and Embedded Systems Development (Paperback)

Bruce Powel Douglass's Real-Time Agility: The Harmony-ESW Method for Real-Time and Embedded Systems Development comes from a leading embedded-systems consult who covers model-driven development and agile methods, analyzing plans, requirements, and three levels of agile design processes. Examples pack a survey that can serve as a tutorial as well as a developer's reference guide.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not much specific to real time aspect, October 31, 2009

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real-Time Agility: The Harmony/ESW Method for Real-Time and Embedded Systems Development (Paperback)

The book's title plays up the real time nature of the coding challenge. Yet a reading shows little that is specific to that aspect. Much of the book's advice could also pertain to more common, non-real time and non-embedded applications.

For example, the book suggests frequent, incremental deliveries, including in a 'spiral' manner. This is not that different than other suggestions about agile approaches for a web site application.

Amusingly perhaps, while the book talks much about agile, it says virtually nothing about Extreme Programming [XP] or its most 'extreme' aspect, pair programming. If you look up the index, those two entries are only mentioned once in the text, and then only as just those terms, without further elaboration. Whereas around 10 years ago, the term agile often was strongly coupled to XP and pair programming, if not outrightly conflated to those two. Yet possibly the experience of the intervening years has led the author to deprecate the links. It's what you don't see in the book that can be as significant as what is presented.