Predictive Software Measures based on Z Specifications - A Case Study

Abstract

Estimating the effort and quality of a system is a critical step at the beginning of every software project. It is necessary to have reliable ways of calculating these measures, and, it is even better when the calculation can be done as early as possible in the development life-cycle. Having this in mind, metrics for formal specifications are examined with a view to correlations to complexity and quality-based code measures. A case study, based on a Z specification and its implementation in ADA, analyzes the practicability of these metrics as predictors

An empirical research agenda for understanding formal methods productivity

“…Bollin and Tabareh [4] compared a number of specificationbased measures and code-based measures. They found strong correlations between line counts, some structure metrics and ''conceptual'' complexity.…”

“…between formal specifications, designs, and code)? [1,4,31,44] 2. How are project characteristics (e.g.…”

“…Olszewska and Sere [38] summarize prior work in this area and investigate the use of Halstead-derived measures for Event-B specifications. Bollin and Tabareh [4] describe metrics (e.g. logical complexity) used on a formal specification in the Z notation.…”

“…How can we measure characteristics of formal methods artefacts and activities? [4] a. How can we measure productivity of proof activities?…”

“…Their results showed strong relationships between Estelle specifications and generated C code. Correlations between specification-based measures and code-based measures were investigated by Bollin and Tabareh [4] using data from a Z specification and ADA implementation. They found high correlation, for example, between ''number of physical lines'' of code and ''conceptual complexity'' of the specification.…”