A pragmatic approach to formalizing object-oriented modeling and development

Despite recent developments in formal methods, these methods have yet to enter the mainstream of the software industry. We first examine the pragmatic obstacles to making formal methods practical and usable. Then we present a pragmatic approach to integrate a popular object oriented modeling notation UML and a popular formal notation Z. Our approach is distinctive in its emphasis on overcoming the practical obstacles. We also present a light weight supporting tool for our approach. A prototype of the supporting tool is completed. It allows us to demonstrate the feasibility and capability of our approach