Incremental elicitation and formalization of user requirements through rapid prototyping via software transformations

Rapid prototyping via software transformations provides a potentially economical way to construct a prototype both quickly and cheaply. User requirements and specifications can be incrementally elicited and formalized through rapid prototyping via software transformations. A formal specification language called TUG (Tree Unified with Grammar) is used not only as a language for specification but also as a language for rapid prototyping via software transformations. The abstract execution capability of the language allows specifiers to formalize the user requirements incrementally. A framework for rapid prototyping via software transformations is proposed to explain how a prototype for evolution is constructed and managed. A mechanism using change request scripts (CRSs) is used to keep track of the specification changes and make timely updates to the prototype. A telegram analysis problem, as a case study, is given to illustrate how an incomplete and inexact specification is refined successively into a more complete and precise one using the approach.