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Conceptual Software Design: Modularity Matrix as Source of Conceptual Integrity

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Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management (IC3K 2016)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 914))

Abstract

Conceptual Software Design is of utmost importance for software development due to its focus on the Conceptual Integrity of software systems. However, in order to turn it into actual standard practice in software design, a precise mathematical representation of Conceptual Design is necessary. This paper claims that Linear Software Models – by means of their basic algebraic structures, the Modularity Matrix or its corresponding Laplacian Matrix – guarantee Conceptual Integrity of the software system they represent. This is argued by first offering a concise Plausibility Path with a few formal steps towards Conceptual Integrity in terms of the Modularity Matrix. These steps clarify the role of the Modularity Matrix, both as a facilitator and as a formal source of the software modules’ Conceptual Integrity. Then, the paper characterizes Conceptual Integrity as an intensive property of the software system. Finally, application in practice is demonstrated by providing explicit formulas to compute Conceptual Integrity principles, viz. propriety and orthogonality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Jerusalem College of Engineering – Azrieli, Jerusalem, Israel

    Iaakov Exman

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  1. Iaakov Exman
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Correspondence to Iaakov Exman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Telecomunicações, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Fred

  2. Department of Software Technology, Delft University of Technology, Voorburg, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

    Jan Dietz

  3. Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal

    David Aveiro

  4. Henley Business School, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Kecheng Liu

  5. University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Jorge Bernardino

  6. Instituto Politecnico de Setúbal (IPS), Setúbal, Portugal

    Joaquim Filipe

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Exman, I. (2019). Conceptual Software Design: Modularity Matrix as Source of Conceptual Integrity. In: Fred, A., Dietz, J., Aveiro, D., Liu, K., Bernardino, J., Filipe, J. (eds) Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management. IC3K 2016. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 914. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99701-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99701-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99700-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99701-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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