The What, How, and When of Formal Methods

Abstract

Questions such as what are formal methods, how are formal methods implemented, how are they used in software engineering, and when should they be used, among other related questions are the main objective of this chapter. Some definitions are given to answer some of these questions; the chapter also states the aims of FM as well as giving their main characteristics. An example that shows how formal methods can be used for specifying not only software requirements but also the rest of the stages in a software development process is given. A discussion about when they should be used, explaining the reasons why they should be applied when security and reliability are important requirements of the software under development, is presented. Finally, some arguments about how they can also be used as a complement to traditional development methods are provided.