On applying formal techniques to the development of hybrid services: challenges and directions

We are primarily interested in formal techniques and how they are applied to the development of hybrid services in particular. We analyze the peculiarities of such services, look at the use of formal techniques for communication services in the industry, and highlight some of the major concerns for the application of formality in an industrial environment. It is argued that with the introduction of hybrid services, more pragmatism is required in applying formal techniques. We describe an ongoing joint collaboration of Alcatel, Swisscom, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in which formal techniques are applied to the specification and testing of hybrid services.