Supporting design: a computational theory of design and its implementation in a software support tool

Most work in knowledge acquisition and manipulation has focused on expert systems. Expert systems solve one kind of problem: heuristic classification. This thesis extends some advances in knowledge engineering to a broader class of problem: design. Design is examined as a generic activity, found in many fields of professional practice. A theoretical framework is developed that supports the refinement of design from high-level concepts through implementation. This framework includes a computational model that is shown to be completely general (Turing-equivalent). Therefore, the theory and model are suitable for representing any design project. They are applied specifically to software development. Practical support for software designers is offered in a prototype software design system. Existing work in automated knowledge acquisition is used to transfer knowledge about a design from the designer to the automated tool. Consistent support for refinement of design choices at any level of detail makes design a maintainable activity. This opens new possibilities for automated code generation, automated maintenance, and the nlore effective management of software at a higher-level design representation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Computer Science and Applications

Department dc:contributor.department

Computer Science and Applications

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1994

Author dc:creator

• Holliday, Glenn E.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Roach, John W.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hix, Deborah S.
• McConnell, David E.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-01172009-063655

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40670