ViewPoint Oriented Software Development

In this paper we propose a new approach to software development which explicitly avoids the use of a single representation scheme or common schema. Instead, multiple ViewPoints are utilised to partition the domain information, the development method and the formal representations used to express software specifications. System specifications and methods are then described as configurations of related ViewPoints. This partitioning of knowledge facilitates distributed development, the use of multiple representation schemes and scalability. Furthermore, the approach is general, covering all phases of the software process from requirements to evolution. This paper motivates and systematically characterises the concept of a "ViewPoint", illustrating the concepts using a simplified example. Proc. of Third Int. Workshop on Software Engineering and its Applications, Toulouse, December 1990.