The manual suggests that the bug rate from simulation testing should have peaked, and be on its way down. One response is RTL signoff, although most ASIC vendors still require manufacturing test vectors. Signoff is moving to either the RTL or physical-design level, according to Bricaud. The RMM recommends the use of different kinds of simulation tools at various phases of the design. For the subblock module test stage, an interpreted, event-driven simulator is suggested.
Emulation is also the recommended approach for the software testing phase.
Here, it's necessary to read between the lines a bit, because the RMM is actually talking about the SimExpress emulator designed by Meta Systems. Because legal action by Quickturn has prevented Mentor from selling or manufacturing that product in the United States, the authors apparently chose not to mention it by name. Chapter 12 takes a different tack by focusing on data and project management. This short chapter discusses the importance of revision control, bug tracking, archiving and project management. That includes revision control, bug tracking and project management.