Unifying Requirements and Code: an Example

TL;DR

This paper explores unifying requirements and code within a single framework using a case study, aiming to improve software changeability and reusability.

Contribution

It demonstrates a method to represent requirements and code together in a programming language framework, bridging two traditionally separate domains.

Findings

Unified framework expresses both domain and machine properties

Enhances software flexibility and reusability

Discusses scalability and limitations of the approach

Abstract

Requirements and code, in conventional software engineering wisdom, belong to entirely different worlds. Is it possible to unify these two worlds? A unified framework could help make software easier to change and reuse. To explore the feasibility of such an approach, the case study reported here takes a classic example from the requirements engineering literature and describes it using a programming language framework to express both domain and machine properties. The paper describes the solution, discusses its benefits and limitations, and assesses its scalability.