This paper is intended for engineering staff intent on embarking on a
rigorous hardware or software design effort. It discusses formal speci
fication as an important tool for formulating and validating engineeri
ng designs, from the Feint of view of organizational requirements, exp
ectations, and benefits. It compares existing approaches and cites exa
mples of real-life case studies. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.