Should I use formal methods on my software project?

Posted by Michael on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Michael
Published on 2009-04-09T19:32:22Z Indexed on 2010/04/06 17:53 UTC
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formal-methods

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formal-verification

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web-applications

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Requirements

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modeling

Our client wants us to build a web-based, rich internet application for gathering software requirements. Basically it's a web-based case tool that follows a specific process for getting requirements from stakeholders. I'm the project manager and we're still in the early phases of the project.

I've been thinking about using formal methods to help clarify the requirements for the tool for both my client and the developers. By formal methods I mean some form of modeling, possibly something mathematically-based. Some of the things I've read about and are considering include Z (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_notation), state machines, UML 2.0 (possibly with extensions such as OCL), Petri nets, and some coding-level stuff like contracts and pre and post conditions. Is there anything else I should consider?

The developers are experienced but depending on the formalism used they may have to learn some math.

I'm trying to determine whether it's worth while for me to use formal methods on this project and if so, to what extent. I know "it depends" so the most helpful answers for me is a yes/no and supporting arguments.

Would you use formal methods if you were on this project?

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