An Air Force organization process model using formal software engineering techniques

This paper presents a methodology for developing an organizational process model based on the principles of object-oriented design and formal software engineering methods. The methodology begins with the development of an object-oriented domain model which consists of an informal Rumbaugh model formally specified in the Z (Zed) formal specification language. The Z specifications are then translated into an executable model in the Software Refinery Environment. The Refine environment provides an executable language that allows behavior to be expressed declaratively, giving the developer an executable specification. This results in an observable domain model with attributes to describe organizational level metrics. While the model described in this paper is based on the Air Force wing C3I domain, both the methodology and the resulting model are shown to be very general and tailorable for other domain applications. The use of formal methods and an object-oriented approach leads to a more mathematically verifiable and more easily maintained executable process model.