INFORMAL AND FORMAL REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION LANGUAGES - BRIDGING THE GAP

The differences between informal and formal requirements specification languages are noted, and the issue of bridging the gap between them is motivated and discussed. Using Structured analysis (SA) and the Vienna Development Method (VDM) as surrogates for informal and formal languages, respectively, two approaches are presented for integrating the two. The first approach uses the SA model of a system to guide the analyst's understanding of the system and the development of the VDM specifications. The second approach proposes a rule-based method for generating VDM specifications from a set of corresponding SA specifications. The two approaches are illustrated through a simplified Payroll System case. The issues that emerge from the use of the two approaches are reported. Finally, the significance of this work to both formal and informal requirements communities is discussed.