{ Engineering Management

April10,1993iIncreasingFormalityintheSpecicationofHigh-QualityInformationSystemsinaCommercialContextPaulA.SwatmanDepartmentofComputerScienceCurtinUniversityofTechnologyApril10,1993AbstractThisThesisisconcernedwithTechnologyTransfer|inparticular,withtheindustri-alisationofformalspecicationtechniqueswithintheInformationSystemsdomaininconjunctionwith:asocio-organisationalphilosopyanObject-Orientedmodellingparadigmapotentiallymulti-organisationalcontextalong-termperspective.InthisThesis,I:initiallysynthesiseanddevelopandthenprovisionallyvalidateatheoryofinfor-mationsystemsacquisitionwhichdrawsonestablishedtheorywithinthedomainsof:{InformationSystems{SoftwareEngineering{EngineeringManagement{OrganisationalSciencedescribeasystemsdevelopmentmethodwhichrepresentsasynthesisofsocio-organisationalphilosophyandthemathematicalrigourofformalspecicationwithintheObject-Orientedmodellingparadigmargue,thendemonstratethatsuchamethodisbothpracticallyapplicableandpotentiallybenecialwithintheInformationSystemsdomainiAcknowledgementsIwouldliketothank:RogerDukeforthehelp,adviceandsupervisionwhichhehasprovidedduringthisresearchprojectDennisMooreforsuggestingformalspecicationasaresearchtopicintherstin-stance;forprovidinganenvironmentinwhichthisresearchcouldbeundertaken;andforprovidingconstructivecommentsondraftsofthisThesisandontheconferenceandjournalarticlesofwhichitis,forthemostpart,composedDonReidforhishelpWesternAustralianGovernmentDepartmentofStateServicesand,inpar-ticular,ArthurWilson,PeterWimsettandRonMartiniforsupportwithcol-laborativeresearchTelecomPlusand,inparticular,BruceHuntandKeithBudgeforsupportwithcol-laborativeresearchDanielleFowler,MichaelGanandKohKianHweeandotherstudentsandmembersoftheFormalMethodsResearchGroupwithintheDepartmentofCom-puterSciencewhohavecontributedtothisstudyDavidAvison,RogerClarke,GuyFitzgerald,BobGalliersandJozeGricarwhohaveprovidedforawithinwhichtopresenttheresultsofthisresearchtotheacademicandprofessionalInformationSystemscommunity.Iwouldalsoliketothankthenumerousanonymousrefereeswhohavereviewedsectionsofthisworkpriortopublicationinjournals,collectionsandconferenceproceedingsandwhoseconstructivecommentshavecontributedtotheclaricationandpresentationofmanyoftheideaspresentedinthisThesis.Finallyandmostimportantly,IwouldliketothankmywifePaula,whohassupportedmethroughoutthisprojectandwhohascollaboratedinthisresearchinnumerousways,including:jointworkwithresearchstudentsandindustryinapplyingformalmethodstotelecommunications-basedinformationsystems|inparticular,theprovisionoftheexpertEDIknowledgeuponwhichtheEDIcommunicationsystemspecicationwasbased;and(aboveandbeyondthecallofduty)forteachingformalmethodsonmybehalftoundergraduateandgraduatestudentswithintheDepartmentin1992!iiContentsAbstract:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::iAcknowledgements:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::ii1Introduction11.1TheProblemContext|TheSoftwareCrisis::::::::::::::::11.2TowardsaResolutionoftheSoftwareCrisis::::::::::::::::21.3ChallengesinInformationSystems:::::::::::::::::::::41.4ProjectScope:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::51.4.1TheResultsofthisResearch::::::::::::::::::::52TheProbleminContext72.1Introduction::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::72.2TheMovetowardsMulti-OrganisationalSoftwareDevelopment:::::82.3Object-OrientedApproach::::::::::::::::::::::::::92.3.1Reusability::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::92.3.2Object-Orientation:ASoftwareEngineeringPhilosophy:::::102.4FormalApproachestoSoftwareSpecication:::::::::::::::132.4.1FormalMethodsofSoftwareSystemSpecication:::::::::152.5TheIdenticationofAppropriateSoftwareSystems::::::::::::192.5.1ASocio-OrganisationalApproach::::::::::::::::::192.6ASynthesisedPerspective::::::::::::::::::::::::::202.7Summary:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::223ResearchDesign233.1TheSubjectofthisResearch::::::::::::::::::::::::233.2FormalHypotheses::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::24iii3.2.1TangibleBenets:::::::::::::::::::::::::::243.2.2ISDevelopmentProcessModel:::::::::::::::::::253.2.3EssentialBackground::::::::::::::::::::::::253.2.4EducationProgramme::::::::::::::::::::::::263.2.5ManagementandControlStructure::::::::::::::::263.3OverallResearchDesign:::::::::::::::::::::::::::273.3.1ThisStudyasInformationSystemsResearch:::::::::::273.3.2ResearchMethodology::::::::::::::::::::::::273.3.3AMethodologicalJusticationoftheTheoryBuildingResearchPhase|DevelopingaTheoryofInformationSystemsAcquisition303.3.4AMethodologicalJusticationofPreliminaryTheoryTesting::313.3.5AMethodologicalJusticationofHybridTheoryBuilding/Test-ingResearch:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::333.4HowDoestheProposedStudyAectExistingConceptsandTheories?:364AnInformationSystemsDevelopmentProcessModel394.1Introduction::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::394.2SystemsDevelopmentPhilosophies:::::::::::::::::::::394.2.1InformationSystems:::::::::::::::::::::::::404.2.2SoftwareEngineering:::::::::::::::::::::::::414.2.3TwoResearchFociCompared::::::::::::::::::::424.3ASynthesisedStrategy::::::::::::::::::::::::::::434.3.1Benet