Software process modeling: a behavioral approach

An approach is presented to software process modeling which is based on behavior descriptions of software development activities. The use of behavioral descriptions makes it possible to describe the software process at any desired level of abstraction and, therefore, assists in accommodating aspects of the process which are poorly understood. This approach also provides the ability to reason about the software process and is sufficiently rigorous to provide a basis for structuring automated software environments. An overview of the model is presented, followed by a formal definition. Examples are given to illustrate the application of the model to existing software processes and software methods. Finally, the implications of the model for automated software environments are discussed