A Common Framework For Synchronization In Requirements Modelling Languages

The ability to describe synchronization between the components of a model is a fundamental primitive in modelling languages. After studying existing modelling languages, we discovered that many synchronization mechanisms can be organized into a common abstract framework. Our framework is based on a notion of synchronization between transitions of complementary roles. It is parameterized by the number of interactions a transition can take part in, i.e., one vs. many, and the arity of the interaction mechanisms, i.e., exclusive vs. shared, which are considered for the complementary roles to result in 16 synchronization types. We describe how many modelling constructs, such as multi-source, multi-destination transitions, many composition operators, and many workflow patterns are forms of synchronization. By generalizing and classifying synchronization types independently of a particular language, our goal is to enable language designers to adopt an appropriate synchronization type for a domain effectively.