V&V through inconsistency tracking and analysis

In this paper we describe a research agenda for a study into the use of inconsistency analysis as a tool for software V&V and in particular, the use of category theory as a basis for modeling consistency relationships between the various artifacts of software development, including specifications, design, test cases, etc. Our expectation is that inconsistency analysis is fundamental to much of the work of V&V and that a systematic approach will have impacts across a wide range of V&V tasks. Two goals are described: an account of the contribution of inconsistency analysis to various V&V analyses, and the development of a formal framework for inconsistency analysis. Our approach to the development of the latter is through the refinement of the viewpoint framework using the language of category theory. We discuss the relationship between specification morphisms, as conventional conceived in work on composition of specifications, and inter-viewpoint consistency relationships. We conclude that inconsistency analysis has the potential to address the 'air gaps' between methods used during the various phases of the software lifecycle.