Summary

In view of the complexity and widespread use of Recommendations, itis imperative that adequate and appropriate description techniques and languages be used  to ensure the required quality levels of Recommendations.

The purpose of this Recommendation is to guide the use of Description Techniques to ensure the quality of ITU-T Recommendations. Where special requirements for verification and validation exist, Formal Description Techniques (FDTs) should be used.

The effective use of FDTs requires phased procedures to introduce their use. This Recommendation states the procedures to accomplish this task.

Effective use of FDTs implies the use of state-of-the-art tools.

Supplement 1 to ITU-T A-series Recommendations (09/98) – Guidelines on quality aspects of protocol related Recommendations – states: "Guidelines on the use of FDTs are contained in Recommendation Z.110. It provides criteria for their use and should, therefore, be taken as a reference in conjunction with this Supplement. It is planned to extend the scope of Recommendation Z.110 to cover a wider range of applications developed by groups such as the OMG."

Resolution 4 on Conformity Assessment and Quality of Standards from the Joint Meeting of Global Standards Collaboration-5/RAST, Williamsburg, USA, 23-26 August 1999, concludes:

a)          "that the use of protocol specifications expressed in SDL in conjunction with the available SDL-based commercial software tools will in the end produce higher quality Recommendations;

b)          that approval of protocol Recommendations expressed in SDL will be achieved in a shorter time than approval of Recommendations written in natural language.

and resolves:

1)          to encourage ITU-T Study Groups to apply Supplement 1 to A-series Recommendations, Guidelines on the Quality Aspects of Protocol Related Recommendations, when developing new protocol related recommendations;

2)          to encourage ITU to provide editing and technical support for the development and maintenance of complex Recommendations;

3)          to encourage companies that participate in GSC member organizations to make use of commercial SDL/TTCN tools in their reviews of draft Recommendations;

4)          to encourage companies that participate in GSC member organizations to assist in the establishment of facilities for training in the use of formalized methodology and tools; and