SEQUENCE-BASED SOFTWARE SPECIFICATION OF DETERMINISTIC SYSTEMS

Specification of software under the box structure method requires a co mplete, consistent, and traceably-correct description of behavior sole ly in terms of external stimuli and responses. Such a specification, a lso called a black box, can be derived from the requirements through s traightforward, systematic enumeration of all stimulus sequences. Enum eration is made manageable by the application of techniques for contro lling the growth of this inherently combinatorial process, and specifi cations at different levels of abstraction may be combined to refine a black box specification. This work presents a unifying framework for development of specifications and testing models, and the focus on req uirements traceability provides an explicit means to manage requiremen ts change. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.