Structured design with mathematical proofs

Abstract Structured design has been widely used for software design. However, traditional structured design methods lack formality to reason design correctness. Formal methods provide a means of developing a system in a mathematical way. The formal notations can be used to reason the system. Inconsistency and ambiguity can be detected in the system. In addition, the system may be processed by a computer for automation. A formal structured design method with mathematical proofs is described in this paper and its use in generating a provable design is shown with an example. The building blocks are introduced for incorporating the correctness proofs with software design. The method differs from traditional software design methods since correctness verification is woven into each refinement step as the design is constructed. The method not only improves the quality of design, but also provides a means for the verification of design correctness.

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