Perspectives on Consistency for System and Software Contracts

Abstract : The development of complex systems relies on a variety of contract notions, ranging from pre- and postconditions at the software level to assume-guarantee reasoning at the system level. These notions are typically studied in different communities, using distinct formalisms and vocabularies, despite addressing closely related concerns. This talk examines how the harmonization of system and software contracts can be approached from the perspective of model consistency. Rather than advocating a single unifying formalism, it emphasizes abstraction and conceptual bridges as complementary strategies. After a brief discussion of consistency in model-driven engineering, consistency is presented as a logical property underlying contracts for modeling operations. By viewing code, components, and contracts as models contract harmonization can also be reframed as a question of model consistency. Overall, consistency offers a model-driven viewpoint on system and software contract harmonization.