A b s t r a c tThis paper describes the Integrated System Development Environment (ISDE) currently being used in the TROPICO RA switching system developnient.In order to understand the role played by the ISDE, original concepts of the TROPICO RA System Design Methodology (SDM) are introduced.Next the layered architecture of ISDE is presented and the objectives and characteristics of its components are detailed.Finally, information about the stage of the ISDE development is given.