A Formal Framework for Feature Interaction with Emphasis on Testing.
Jens Chr. Godskesen · 1995
In this paper we present a formal framework for feature interaction. The framework consists of three levels: the requirement level , the specification level , and the implementation level . At the requirement level we define interaction as inconsistency between feature requirements. At the specification and implementation level we define interaction as a relative notion. Interaction at the specification level is defined relative to the requirements the feature specifications are expected to satisfy. Interaction at the implementation level is defined relative to both the requirements and the specifications the implementations of the features are supposed to realize. We identify an interaction as originating from one (and only one) of the three levels. Also, we show that interactions may be inherited from the requirement level to the specification level and from the specification level to the implementation level. The final part of the paper contains an outline of how absence of feature interaction can be tested for at the implementation level.