Analysis and Design in MSG.84: Formalizing Functional Specifications

Abstract

Model building is identified as the most important part of the analysis and design process for software systems. A set of primitives to support this process is presented, along with a formal language, MSG.84, for recording the results of analysis and design. The semantics of the notation is defined in terms of the actor formalism, which is based on a message passing paradigm. The automatic derivation of a graphical form of the specification for user review is discussed. Potentials for computer-aided design based on MSG.84 are indicated.