Multiple Views Analysis of Software Designs

Designs are expressed in terms of structure, behavior, objects, modules, and functions which, once consolidated, become design blueprints. This paper describes a formal framework for expressing, analyzing, and comparing multiple views of designs. The analysis of multiple designs or views using different design notations is proposed as a strategy to enhance design quality by providing a systematic identification of design defects and discrepancies. Views are formalized, analyzed independently, and then compared to each other. The type of design discrepancies identified are omission of information, incompatible information, and inconsistencies between views.