The goal of the ARPA/Tri-Service sponsored RASSP (Rapid Prototyping of Application-Specific Signal Processors) program is to improve by at least a factor of four the cost and time needed to develop and manufacture signal processors. One of the ways this goal is being achieved is through the use of enterprise system technology. Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) is developing an enterprise system that integrates a workflow manager, product data manager, reuse data manager, CAD tools, and network services into a single cohesive framework. The workflow manager guides the user through the design process through the use of graphical workflows. The product data manager configuration manages the design data that's produced and consumed. The reuse data manager supports the cataloging of and searching for reusable design objects. Network services addresses the design-to-manufacturing interface through a secure network protocol.

By integrating workflows, product data, CAD tools, and network service, an enterprise system enables a concurrent/collaborative approach to signal processor design that embraces the entire life cycle, from requirements to manufacture.

This paper describes how workflows for electronic design were developed on the RASSP program by ATL, and how those workflows were implemented using the Mentor Graphics WorkXpert product.

Bio:
Jeffrey Stavash is a senior member of the engineering staff at Lockheed Martin ATL working on the RASSP program. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Seton Hall University and an M.S. in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His current responsibilities on RASSP include developing process & workflow models for the RASSP methodology and integrating vendor tools into the enterprise framework.