Hello A-List,

I would like to know which methodologies are used in the automation industry ? And why ?
SART ? SADT ? SDL ? StateChart ? UML ?
And where can I find infos for those ?

Regards,

Olivier Moron

R&D Project Manager
CJ INTERNATIONAL - http://www.ISaGRAF.com
My personal web site http://saatse.tripod.com

 

The current development engineering process better fits the Waterfall model of software engineering, i.e., design, code, test. The Interative model is starting to get some serious discussion.

All software is theoretically object oriented.

UML is starting to be the defacto language for describing software. At least we can stop learning notation after notation as the next methodologist becomes hot.

Best,
B.O. Oct. 19, 2000
--
Robert Old, System Architecture, [email protected]
Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., Landis & Staefa Division
1000 Deerfield Pkwy., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-4513 USA
Phone: +1(847)941-5623, Fax: +1(847)419-2401

 

UML, especially action diagrams and state charts.
Action diagrams more-or-less resemble IEC-1131 SFC's, and if you turn them over 90 degrees it looks like a projectplan.
Even non-sw people can understand that (like your boss!).
Makes communication in projects with other disciplines a lot easier...

Greetings,
Rob Hulsebos

 

"SART ? SADT ? SDL ? StateChart ? UML ?"
Well, these are all IT industry developments orientated around producing IT solutions, in languages like C. I have tried using these in automation and have not enjoyed the experience. For example, if I need to agree with a process engineer exactly how material X is added to the reactor, or how the reactor temperature control should work, then UML does not help that
understanding - in fact is generally turns the process engineer off.

I use the ISA S88.01/IEC 61512-1 Standard "Models and Terminology for batch Control." There is also the S88.02 emerging standard for defining recipes,
and the S95 standard for Enterprise control system integration.
Please excuse the plug, but take a look a ControlDraw. It is CASE tool for Process Control, that can be used to produce requirements models that follow the standard. It is being used by process companies to produce highly detailed Function Requirements models. Various types of diagrams are available, such as SAMA, Grafcet, State Transition, Boolean Logic etc. The new version also covers S88.02 Procedure function charts.

Best Regards
Francis Lovering
http://www.controldraw.co.uk
Office (44) 02392 716857
Mobile (44) 07901 820407