In: ACM SIGSOFT Enginneering Notes, Vol. 14, No. 3; Proceedings of the Fifth International Workshop on Software Specification, 1989, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, pages 291-193. May 1989.
Abstract: The author describes a formalism that maps a first order logic-based specification into a graph representation (Influence Graph). The graph can be shown to be a representation scheme equivalent to ordinary Petri nets, with an emphasis on general causal implications instead of resource usage. By making the procedural aspects of a system explicit, the graph helps users in validating specifications of system behaviors. A program has been implemented to construct, simplify and analyze influence graphs.
Keywords: first order logic-based specification; influence graph; causal relation.