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Towards a Problematization Framework of 4IR Formalisms: The Case of QUALITY 4.0

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Proceedings of the International Conference on Intelligent Vision and Computing (ICIVC 2021) (ICIVC 2021)

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Abstract

The use of Formal Methods (FMs) as a software engineering paradigm remains contentious. Advocates of the use of FMs point out the enhanced quality of software that may be obtained through reasoning about the properties of a formal specification, while critics mention the steep learning curve in mastering the underlying mathematics and logic for the efficient use of these techniques. Be that as it may, with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in which humans and intelligent machines are anticipated to work together, it is imperative that the software driving these machines be provably correct or at least highly dependable, making a strong case for the use of FMs. In this paper, following an inductive research approach we problematize the use of FMs for software development by considering numerous aspects like a formal specification of the Quality 4.0 framework, problematization aspects in the literature, and the role of upper managers in promoting or prohibiting the use of FMs. A problematization framework for FMs use in the 4IR is developed and validated through a brief theoretical analysis. Future work in this area may involve validating the framework among stakeholders in the software industry and developing a solution framework.

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Acknowledgements

This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Number 119210).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Digital Transformation and Innovation, Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL), University of South Africa (Unisa), Midrand, South Africa

    John Andrew van der Poll

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  1. John Andrew van der Poll
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Correspondence to John Andrew van der Poll .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, India

    Harish Sharma

  2. Sur University College, Sur, Oman

    Vijay Kumar Vyas

  3. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Rajesh Kumar Pandey

  4. School of Computer Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Mukesh Prasad

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van der Poll, J.A. (2022). Towards a Problematization Framework of 4IR Formalisms: The Case of QUALITY 4.0. In: Sharma, H., Vyas, V.K., Pandey, R.K., Prasad, M. (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Intelligent Vision and Computing (ICIVC 2021). ICIVC 2021. Proceedings in Adaptation, Learning and Optimization, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97196-0_18

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