An Integrated Approach for Software Design Checking Using Design Rationale

Abstract. Design Rationale (DR), the reasons behind decisions made while designing, offers a richer view of both the product and the decision-making process by providing the designers intent behind the decisions. DR is also valuable for checking to ensure that the intent was adhered to throughout the design, as well as pointing out any unresolved (or undocumented) issues that remain open. While there is little doubt of the value of DR, it is typically not captured during design. SEURAT (Software Engineering Using RATionale) is a system we have developed to explore uses of design rationale. It supports both the display of and inferencing over the rationale to point out any unresolved issues or inconsistencies. SEURAT is tightly integrated with a software development environment so that rationale capture and use can become integrated into the software development process. 1