Task-based conceptual graphs as a basis for automating software development

[[abstract]]It is widely recognized that requirements engineering is a knowledge-intensive process and cannot be dealt with using only a few general principles. Since knowledge plays a crucial role in software development, software engineers have to describe and organize various aspects of knowledge before the program can be written. A recent work by Robillard reveals that software development can be further improved by recognizing the relevant knowledge structures. In this paper, we propose the use of a task-based conceptual graphs (TBCB) framework as a basis for automating software development. By structuring and operationalizing conceptual graphs, TBCG specifications can be transformed into executable programs automatically. To construct a conceptual model, task-based specification methodology is used as the mechanism to structure the knowledge captured in conceptual models, whereas conceptual graphs are adopted as the formalism to express task-based specifications and to provide a reasoning capability for the purpose of automation. Once task-based graphs have been constructed and verified, a blackboard system will automatically transform TBCG specifications into a software system composed of database schemas, knowledge base, and user interfaces. A meeting scheduling system is used as an illustrative example to demonstrate our approach. � 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc