The systems engineering method proposed in this book, which is based on Abstract State Machines (ASMs), guides the development of software and embedded hardware-software systems seamlessly from requirements capture to actual implementation and documentation. The method bridges the gap between the human understanding and formulation of real-world problems and the deployment of their algorithmic solutions by code-executing machines. Within a single conceptual framework it covers design, verification by reasoning techniques, and validation by simulation and testing. ASMs improve current industrial practice by using accurate high-level modeling and by linking the descriptions at the successive stages of system development in an organic and efficiently maintainable chain of rigorous and coherent system models at stepwise-refined abstraction levels. In several industrial projects the ASM method has proven its superiority compared to the popular UML methodology when designing complex parallel or dynamic systems.

This book combines the features of a textbook and a handbook: the reader will find detailed explanations, proofs, and exercises as well as numerous examples and real-world case studies. Researchers will find here the most comprehensive description of ASMs available today and professionals will use it as a 'modeling handbook for the working software engineer.' As a textbook it supports self-study or it can form the basis of a lecture course. The book is complemented by a CD containing the whole book text, additional course material, solutions to exercises, and additional examples.

本书提出的系统工程方法以抽象状态机（ASM）为基础，指导软件和嵌入式硬件-软件系统的开发，从需求捕捉到实际执行和记录都是无缝的。该方法弥补了人类对现实世界问题的理解和表述与通过代码执行机器部署其算法解决方案之间的差距。在一个单一的概念框架内，它涵盖了设计、推理技术的验证以及模拟和测试的验证。ASM通过使用精确的高层建模和将系统开发的连续阶段的描述连接在一个有机的、可有效维护的严格和连贯的系统模型链中，在逐步细化的抽象层次上改善了当前的工业实践。在一些工业项目中，ASM方法已经证明了它在设计复杂的并行或动态系统时比流行的UML方法更有优势。

本书结合了教科书和手册的特点：读者会发现详细的解释、证明和练习，以及大量的例子和真实世界的案例研究。研究人员将在这里找到当今最全面的ASM描述，专业人士将把它作为 "工作中的软件工程师的建模手册"。作为一本教科书，它支持自学，也可以作为讲座课程的基础。本书还配有一张CD，其中包含整本书的内容、额外的课程材料、练习的解决方案和额外的例子。