Specification slicing in formal methods of software development

Abstract

Specifications are important in software development because a large percentage of the errors at implementation and test phases are traceable to a lack of precision of the specifications. Formal methods are studied and applied to produce clear specifications and argue about them rigorously. As formal methods may even increase the ratio of specification phase in the software life-cycle, it is necessary to be efficient in debugging, modification, and reuse of specifications to reduce cost of the whole software development process. In a large scale specification in particular, parts extracted from the specification are useful. We introduce here a specification slicing that supports debugging, modification and reuse of specifications. In this paper, we define specification slice as a part of a specification that defines or restricts values of a particular variable used in the specification. Attention is also directed to applications of specification slicing and support tools.<>