Sound Software Development for Engineering Simulations

Nine engineering research projects involving software development were investigated to demonstrate the need for imposing some sound and practical software engineering practices in undergraduate and graduate research environments where simulation is a common occurrence. All nine projects were monitored through a development phase, a code review and a usage phase. Errors were classified and recorded along with anecdotal observations and a usability rating. Of the nine projects investigated, all had serious errors during usage indicating that software development is problematic. Miscommunication, student inexperience, software platform quirks, and frequent reuse of insufficiently documented software and models were all factors that contributed to errors in the implemented software. Based on the observations made during this investigation, a more rigorous approach to software development is warranted.