Improving Communication of Changes in Model-Based Engineering with Model-Independent Change Descriptions

2026-07-23

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenge in model-based engineering where interdisciplinary teams struggle to comprehend each other’s modifications due to change descriptions being tightly coupled with domain-specific modeling knowledge. To overcome this, we propose a method that automatically maps formal Delta Modeling changes into model-agnostic natural language descriptions, preserving semantic fidelity while enhancing human readability and cross-domain applicability. We introduce, for the first time, a systematic mapping mechanism between formal change representations and generic natural language. The approach is rigorously evaluated through an integrated framework comprising a prototype implementation, case studies, and user studies, demonstrating its technical feasibility, practical utility, and scalability. Our results establish a viable pathway toward automated generation of interpretable, human-readable descriptions of model changes.

Abstract

In model-based engineering, inter-disciplinary teams collaborate through models, which change over time for purposes of system development, what makes the proper description of such changes crucial for engineers. However, any change made by the engineer of one discipline will be difficult to understand by the engineers of other disciplines. To overcome this limitation, model-independent change descriptions can be derived instead, which preserve semantics of the changes and do not require model-specific knowledge. The two opposing approaches here are to describe changes using either informal language or formal notions of change. While informal language lacks objectivity and standardisation, formal notions of change lack human interpretability, and thus offering no support for inter-disciplinary communication. In this paper, we propose functions to map formally specified changes, represented in the approach of delta modelling, to change descriptions in model-independent language. In an exhaustive mixed-methods evaluation, we bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical representation of changes. We quantitatively assess technical feasibility, with an implementation framework, and technical applicability, along a case study; and we qualitatively assess plausibility, practical applicability, and extensibility, in a user study. Our work shows a promising starting point for automated, model-independent description of changes in model-based engineering projects.

Problem

• model-based engineering
• inter-disciplinary communication
• change description
• model-independent
• delta modelling

Innovation

• model-independent change description
• delta modelling
• inter-disciplinary communication
• formal-to-informal mapping
• model-based engineering