A unified framework for the quality management of manufacturing systems software development

Abstract

Software has become a principal component in today's advanced automated manufacturing systems. The ability to deliver software which satisfies the original requirements and expectations within budgeted time and cost is one of the major factors in determining the success of the project. While existing software engineering techniques are available for the effective design of complex software systems, much of the effort relies on a designer's experience and intuition. The paper presents a unified framework which aims to quantify the software development process and to assist engineers to manage the development process such that not only the quality of the software produced is assured, but also is the development process. We illustrate the application of the framework for software development of a robotic Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC).