The Five Most Common Mistakes with Real-time Embedded Software Development

Experts and novices alike, tend to share a common pattern of errors while developing real-time embedded software. To make things worse, a lot of developers do not even realize that the methods they use are very often flawed. The trend becomes tradition as these developers train others with the same knowledge leading to a vicious cycle of software development issues. Nevertheless, here is a list of the common mistakes made while developing real-time embedded software that might come in handy for the more discerning developers.

1. Quite often developers end up choosing the wrong software development tools. They get blindsided by superficial features such as number of sales, flashiness, and overall marketing hype. Tools must be selected based on their technical abilities and whether they are suited for the application at hand.
2. A lot of developers end up drafting documentation after the code is written and implemented. Documentation must be prepared while the code is being written and much before implementation. This way programmers will ensure that implementation occurs according to document specifications.
3. Developers have a nasty habit of reusing defunct codes or codes that are not meant to be used again. Codes that are not meant for reuse will probably be dependent on other codes. Using such a code can cause harm in terms of functionality.
4. Developers often forget to measure execution time for their codes. This results in systems having timing and synchronization errors ultimately resulting in erratic system behavior. Execution time must be measured at every step while developing real-time embedded software.
5. Developers perform error detection usually through trial and error. This is a bad approach and must be corrected by incorporating error detection into the system design.