A meta-model supporting the decomposition of problem descriptions

Problem frames are an approach to requirements modeling that is gaining increasing attention and popularity. A few meta-models have already been proposed to precisely define the notation and –in some cases– to support the construction of tools. However, the meta-models proposed till now concentrate on modeling the single problem frame, without addressing the whole problem. This is particularly limiting, since one of the strengths of the problem frames approach is in tackling the complexity of problems by guiding their decomposition into sub-problems, and in identifying recurring patterns of elementary problems. In order to support this fundamental activity, a meta-model has to support the notion of sub-problems and sub-domains; moreover it must provide suitable means to represent problems in intermediate situations during the (de)composition phases. This paper presents a meta-model that addresses the aforementioned issues and provides a suitable base for the construction of a tool based on the EMF/GEF technology.