3 Software Engineering for Model-Based Development by Domain Experts

Model-Based Development (MBD) has been gaining traction in the development of embedded software in many industries, especially in safety-critical domains. The models are typically described using domain-specific languages and tools that are readily accessible to the domain experts. Consequently, domain experts, despite not having formal software engineering training, find themselves creating models (designs) from which code is generated, thus effectively contributing to the design and coding activities of software development. This new role for domain experts as software developers can have a direct impact on the system safety if the domain experts do not follow software engineering best practices. In this chapter, we describe our experiences as software engineers in multiyear collaborations with domain experts from the automotive industry, who are developing embedded software with the MBD approach. We provide guidelines that strengthen the collaboration between domain experts and software engineers and improve the quality, and hence safety, of embedded software systems developed using MBD. We clarify the role of some of the most commonly used software engineering principles and artefacts, while also addressing issues and misconceptions encountered in adopting software engineering practices in MBD. Although this chapter focuses on the MBD of automotive embedded software in Matlab Simulink, the guidelines we provide are applicable to the MBD of software in general.