9.5 Conclusions | A Software Engineering Approach to LabVIEW

So, the conclusion to our journey will be a happy ending. We provide the widget test software and the customer is blown away with the sheer brilliance of our software. We test the application against the test plan and it passes with flying colors. We are heralded as the masters of LabVIEW and a ticker tape parade is held in our honor . . . complete fantasy!

That would make our example project the worst fairy tale of all. Undoubtedly, problems will occur. Our example project could twist and turn with remarkable speed. The problems that could manifest themselves include:

The market changes and new functionality has to be added.
The people participating in the project change, bringing a whole new set of requirements and perceptions.
Problems in third-party software rear their ugly heads and cause havoc with the system performance.
The customer realizes that very late into the project, he or she has missed a fundamental test that would render the equipment useless without it.

How do we cope with all the possible problems and unknowns?

Hopefully, everything that we have discussed has shed light on what will give you a decent chance for success. LCOD with basic software engineering practices has enabled us to approach any project armed with the tools that will get the job done. Concentrating on loose coupling and strong cohesion allows the system to be defined simply. Information hiding allows the system to be designed with available information. These simple design strategies have long stood the test of time, and will remain doing so.

We know that using these techniques will help tame the complexity monster that all but the simplest projects can turn into. We know this because we have used them.

The techniques in this book are purely good design practices; they are not the latest "silver bullet." Everything we have presented is based on our experiences with LabVIEW and commercial projects. The techniques fit well with LabVIEW and data flow programming, and do not involve learning new abstract concepts and paradigms . As we stated very early on, none of the material in this book is new. We are constantly trying new things, keeping what works and discarding what doesn't.

We encourage you to do the same.

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