Review of CASE experience on the BART ICS project

BART is a rapid transit system for the San Francisco Bay Area. The ICS project will provide an integrated control system to enable the train service to be upgraded. The ICS system has a strong real time element and it is essential that the ICS system is reliable, since this has a direct effect on the service provided. Logica was commissioned to undertake the development of this system. They decided to employ the Yourdon method for analysis and design. The method required some tailoring to fit existing local standards, including structural documentation standards. The formal review method adopted was a structured hybrid of 'structured walkthrough' and 'Fagan inspection'. Later on in the project it was decided to adopt a more integrated tool to increase control and productivity. After a survey of existing CASE tools Index Technology's Excelerator was chosen as the tool to bring together the data dictionary and the structured diagrams. Excelerator was not without its problems, but offered an appropriate level of flexibility and support. The results and limitations of the methods and tools involved in the project are outlined and requirements for future CASE tools are stated.<
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