Modular Functional Descriptions

Abstract

The construction of reactive systems often requires the combination of different individual functionalities, thus leading to a complex overall behavior. To achieve an efficient construction of reliable systems, a structured approach to the definition of the behavior is needed. Here, functional modularization supports a separation of the overall functionality into individual functions as well as their combination to construct the intended behavior, by using functional modules as basic paradigm together with conjunctive and disjunctive modular composition.

Why feature dependencies challenge the requirements engineering of automotive systems: An empirical study

“…The behavior of software-intensive embedded systems is characterized by its features and functions. Many modelbased specification techniques for software-intensive systems utilize this notion of a system feature in order to structure a specification (e.g., [1], [2], [3]). Although the notions in the different approaches differ slightly and sometimes synonyms such as "system function", "feature", or "user function" are used, the approaches agree on structuring a specification into subparts that contain extracts of the functionality as it is perceived by the user or any other environmental system.…”

Feature dependencies in automotive software systems: Extent, awareness, and refactoring

“…Additional terms that are often mentioned in this context are the terms function or service. Depending on the focus, the term feature may be used to describe distinctive characteristics of a system [17,18], elements of a functional specification [19,20], or increments and configuration options in a design or implementation [21,22].…”