Software Engineered to Last 20 Years Requires Quality Built In

Discerning customers make quality a number one priority at Thales Communications. "The systems we provide must be irreproachable," says Denis Govin, manager of the Software Engineering group, in France. "They must also be easy to maintain," he continues, "because throughout their lifetime, they are required to evolve and accept new functionality. The code must be the best possible quality so that it can be improved throughout its lifetime.

The mission of Govin's Software Engineering group is to advise and support some 1,000 developers who design and develop the software incorporated into the systems marketed by Thales Communications. In an effort to provide consistency and integrity, the Software Engineering group also centralizes the choice of management and development tools.

"The tools we choose must be efficient and reliable because they support 1,000 potential users," Govin emphasizes. "Even if there isn't the likelihood to have zero defects, we still have demanding quality standards because the stakes are very high. During development, it's very possible for an error to slip into the code. The later a problem is detected, the more costly it becomes. Like everyone else, we are subject to market constraints. Therefore, we must be less expensive and more proactive while still offering products of the best quality."

Searching for the Right Fit in Debugging Tools

In 1997, the Thales Communications developers were increasing their use of Visual C++. It quickly became apparent to the Software Engineering group that they needed to find a debugging tool that would identify and eliminate problems as quickly as possible, before the applications were transferred into the integration and validation phases.

It was crucial that Govin and his team select the right tools. If they made a mistake, the developers at Thales Communications would pay the price. The Software Engineering group was in search of "the rare pearl," Govin says.

"At that point, we were searching for the miracle product that would enable us to resolve problems on all platforms because we work on the Windows operating system," Govin continues. "We began a process to evaluate six or seven tools available on the market at the time."

DevPartner Studio, DriverStudio and BoundsChecker Prove to be Gems

Three products from Compuware proved their worth in the Windows NT environment to Govin and his team: DevPartner Studio, DriverStudio and BoundsChecker.

DevPartner tools improve productivity and increase software reliability for systems ranging from simple two-tier applications to complex distributed and web-based systems. Part of the DevPartner Studio suite, BoundsChecker automatically pinpoints and analyzes errors in source code when developing Visual C++ applications. It finds problems as they occur in both native Windows code and mixed managed/native code, capturing detailed analysis data at application runtime.

DriverStudio is an integrated set of software tools for developing, debugging, tuning, testing and deploying Windows device drivers. DriverStudio brings kernel mode programming up to par with application programming.

Govin is enthusiastic in his praise for BoundsChecker: "A product like BoundsChecker from Compuware allows us to detect problems upstream and sooner. It allows us to gain time, economize resources and to provide quality products straight away before their integration."

A Strategy of Systematic Testing—From Development to Integration

For software destined to become part of its systems, Thales Communications implemented very rigorous development methodologies and processes supported by efficient tools. "We wanted to provide a uniform development environment," Govin says. "Having the same types of tools available to developers, even if they move from one job to another, is important."

Of course, using tools like BoundsChecker does not avoid the need to implement quality control across the application life cycle. To this end, Thales Communications decided to implement an overall testing strategy. At every stage of the application roll out, various degrees of validation occured, taking into account the level of quality required and the constraints of each application. Even before development began, design documents are reviewed before writing any code. The same standards were applied to ensure the quality of its code.

Working Together for a Customized Solution

Once the products were set into place at Thales Communications, it quickly became apparent that the ideal solution was to create a BoundsChecker license for each development station. Govin, supported by the purchasing director, opened discussions with Compuware to arrive at a contractually and financially acceptable solution. "Compuware proposed a site license that permitted us to deploy BoundsChecker for all the developers at Thales Communications. We very much appreciated the initiative. Compuware knew how to make the necessary efforts to become part of our team and, in the end, everyone came out ahead."

"BoundsChecker is a very simple product to use and one that is easily adaptable so we have no need to call upon the advice and information services provided by Compuware," Govin relates.

Looking to the Future

Thales Communications prides itself as an industry leader at the forefront of progress. One of the company's goals is to offer its customers more interoperability and the ability to respond to the unique needs of multi-force and multi-national military missions. Military forces in different countries must increasingly work together for a common purpose—and communication systems play an essential role in their efforts. Armed with its standardized development processes and automated debugging tools supplied by Compuware, Thales Communications is well on its way to meet whatever challenges come its way.