Extending the Object-Process Methodology to Handle Real-Time Systems

There is general consensus in the software literature that real-time systems are difficult to model, specify, and design. It is an important and challenging task to develop an intuitive and easyto-use, yet coherent and concise method for specifying such systems. The Object-Process Methodology (OPM) graphically specifies systems in a single unified model that describes the staticstructural and behavioral-procedural aspects of a system by a set of Object-Process Diagrams. In this research paper we present OPM/T, as an extension of OPM for specification of reactive and real-time systems. A detailed telephone call example demonstrates the power of OPM/T to express such notions as timing constraints, events, conditions, exceptions, and control flow constructs. Pertinent Subjects  analysis and design methods, real-time systems, design patterns.