Contextual Specification Analysis Process and Modelling Patterns
Michael Bell · 2012
Contextual specification is the process of reducing the abstraction level of a service. This “de-generalization” activity both narrows service functionality boundaries and decreases the scope of operations. The specification method is designed to trim the capacity of a service and limit its responsibilities by downsizing its contextual aspects. The contextual specification process is not about service decomposition and certainly not about breaking down software assets. The chief concern is simply the reduction of a service abstraction level to smaller manageable units, each of which is created to partially preserve attributes of the originating core service. “Reduction” pertains to three major aspects of specification: service naming, functionality, and specialty. This chapter elaborates on these three influencing factors on a service's contextual scope that can affect service design and architecture considerations and have implications for future production environments.