Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Integration of sequential scenarios

  • Regular Sessions
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Software Engineering — ESEC/FSE'97 (ESEC 1997, SIGSOFT FSE 1997)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1301))

Abstract

We give a formal relation-based definition of scenarios and we show how different scenarios can be integrated to obtain a more global view of user-system interactions. We restrict ourselves to the sequential case, meaning that we suppose that there is only one user (thus, the scenarios we wish to integrate cannot occur concurrently). Our view of scenarios is state-based, rather than event-based, like most of the other approaches, and can be grafted to the well-established specification language Z. Also, the end product of scenario integration, the specification of the functional aspects of the system, is given as a relation; this specification can be refined using independently developed methods. Our formal description is coupled with a diagram-based, transition-system like, presentation of scenarios, which is better suited to communication between clients and specifiers.

This research is supported by FCAR (Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide á la Recherche, Québec) and NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Benner, K. M., Feather, M. S., Johnson, W. L., Zorman, L. A.: Utilizing Scenarios in the Software Development Process. In Prakash, N., Rolland, C. and Pernici, B., Editors, Information System Development Process, Elsevier Science Publisher B. V., North-Holland (1993) 117–134

    Google Scholar 

  2. Berghammer, R., Schmidt, G.: The RELVIEW-System. In Choffrut, C. and Jantzen, M., Editors, STAGS 91, 8th Annual Symp. on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (Feb. 1991) Hamburg, Germany, Lect. Notes in Comp. Sci. 480, Springer, 535–536

    Google Scholar 

  3. Boiten, E., Derrick, J., Bowman, H., Steen, M.: Consistency and Refinement for Partial Specification in Z. In Gaudel, M. C. and Woodcock, J., Editors, FME'96: Industrial Benefit of Formal Methods, 3rd Int. Symp. of Formal Methods Europe, Lect. Notes in Comp. Sci. 1051, Springer (Mar. 1996) 287–306

    Google Scholar 

  4. Borgida, A., Mylopoulos, J., Reiter, R.: “... And Nothing Else Changes”: The Frame Problem in Procedure Specifications. 15th IEEE Int. Conf. on Software Engineering (May 1993) Baltimore, MD, 303–314

    Google Scholar 

  5. Boudriga, N., Elloumi, F., Mili, A.: On the Lattice of Specifications: Applications to a Specification Methodology. Formal Aspects of Computing 4 (1992) 544–571

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brink, C., Kahl, W., Schmidt, G., Editors: Relational Methods in Computer Science. Springer (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Campbell, R. L.: Will the Real Scenario Please Stand Up? ACM SIGCHI Bulletin 24, 2 (Apr. 1992) 6–8

    Google Scholar 

  8. Campbell, R. L.: Categorizing Scenarios: A Quixotic Quest? ACM SIGCHI Bulletin 24, 4 (Oct. 1992) 16–17

    Google Scholar 

  9. Damon, C. A., Jackson, D., Jha, S.: Checking Relational Specifications with Binary Decision Diagrams. ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes 21, 6 (Nov. 1996) 70–80

    Google Scholar 

  10. Dardenne, A., van Lamsweerde, A., Fickas, S.: Goal-Directed Requirements Acquisition. Sci. Comput. Programming 20 (1993) 3–50

    Google Scholar 

  11. Desharnais, J., Belkhiter, N., Ben Mohamed Sghaier, S., Tchier, F., Jaoua, A., Mili, A., Zaguia, N.: Embedding a Demonic Semilattice in a Relation Algebra. Theoret. Comput. Sci. 149, 2 (Oct. 1995) 333–360

    Google Scholar 

  12. Desharnais, J., Mili, A., Nguyen, T. T.: Refinement and Demonic Semantics. In Brink et al. [6], chapter 11, 166-183.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Diller, A.: Z: An Introduction to Formal Methods. John Wiley & Sons (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Frappier, M., Mili, A., Desharnais, J.: Program Construction by Parts. Sci. Comput. Programming 26, 1-3 (May 1996) 237–254

    Google Scholar 

  15. Glinz, M.: An Integrated Formal Model of Scenarios Based on Statecharts. In Fifth European Software Engineering Conference (1995) Lect. Notes in Comp. Sci. 989, Springer, 254–271

    Google Scholar 

  16. Harel, D.: Statecharts: A Visual Formalism for Complex Systems. Sci. Comput. Programming 8 (1987) 231–274

    Google Scholar 

  17. Harel, D.: On Visual Formalisms. Comm. ACM 31, 5 (May 1988) 514–530

    Google Scholar 

  18. Holbrook III, H.: A Scenario-Based Methodology for Conducting Requirements Elicitation. ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes 15, 1 (Jan. 1990) 95–104

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hsia, P., Samuel, J., Gao, J., Kung, D., Toyoshima, Y., Chen, C.: Formal Approach to Scenario Analysis. IEEE Software 11, 2 (Mar. 1994) 33–41

    Google Scholar 

  20. Janicki, R., Parnas, D. L., Zucker, J.: Tabular Representations in Relational Documents. In Brink et al. [6], chapter 12, 184–196.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kawashita, I.: Spécification Formelle de Systèmes d'Information Interactifs par la Technique des Scénarios. Master's thesis, Département d'informatique et de recherche opérationnelle, University de Montréal, Montréal (Nov. 1996)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lamport, L.: The temporal logic of actions. ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems 16 (May 1994) 872–923

    Google Scholar 

  23. Lamport, L.: TLA in Pictures. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 21, 9 (Sep. 1995) 768–775

    Google Scholar 

  24. Lubars, M., Potts, C., Richter, C.: Developing Initial OOA Models. In 15th IEEE International Conf. on Software Engineering (1993) 255–264

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lustman, F.: A Formal Approach to Scenario Integration. Annals of Software Engineering, to appear

    Google Scholar 

  26. McCarthy, J., Hayes, P.: Some Philosophical Problems from the Standpoint of Artificial Intelligence. In Melzter, B. and Michie, D., Editors, Machine Intelligence 4, Edinburgh University Press (1969) 463-502

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mili, A.: A Relational Approach to the Design of Deterministic Programs. Acta Informatica 20 (1983) 315–328

    Google Scholar 

  28. Mili, A., Desharnais, J., Mili, F.: Relational Heuristics for the Design of Deterministic Programs. Acta Informatica 24, 3 (1987) 239–276

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mili A. Desharnais, J., Mili, F.: Computer Program Construction. Oxford University Press, New York. NY (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Parnas, D. L., Madey, J., Iglewski, M.: Precise Documentation of Well-Structured programs. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 20, 12 (Dec. 1994) 948–976

    Google Scholar 

  31. Rubin, K. S., Goldberg, A.: Object Behavior Analysis. Comm. ACM 35, 9 (Sep. 1992) 48–62

    Google Scholar 

  32. Schmidt, G., Ströhlein, T.: Relations and Graphs, Discrete Mathematics for Computer Scientists. EATCS-Monographs on Theoretical Computer Science, Springer (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Somé, S., Dssouli, R., Vaucher, J.: From Scenarios to Timed Automata: Building Specifications from Users Requirements. In 2nd Asia Pacific Software Engineering Conference (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Spivey, J. M.: Understanding Z: A Specification Language and its Formal Semantics, Cambridge Tracts in Theoret. Computer Science 3, Cambridge Univ. Press, UK (1988)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département d'informatique, Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Québec, QC, Canada

    Jules Desharnais & Ridha Khédri

  2. Département de mathématiques et d'informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Marc Frappier

  3. Department of Computer Science, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Ali Mili

Authors
  1. Jules Desharnais
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marc Frappier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ridha Khédri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ali Mili
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Mehdi Jazayeri Helmut Schauer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Desharnais, J., Frappier, M., Khédri, R., Mili, A. (1997). Integration of sequential scenarios. In: Jazayeri, M., Schauer, H. (eds) Software Engineering — ESEC/FSE'97. ESEC SIGSOFT FSE 1997 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1301. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63531-9_22

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-63531-9_22

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-63531-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69592-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation