Literate Model

A Literate Model is a natural-language-centered Model that describes a subject, purposes, situations, scenarios, intent, assumptions, decisions, history, and related information in forms people can understand. Conventional documents that explain Domain Model concepts, rules, and relationships are also important constituents. It is shared among human developers, non-developers, and generative AI, and retains as part of the Model information that cannot, or should not, be reduced to an Object Model or Knowledge Model.

A Literate Model is not synonymous with a formal Model plus explanatory documentation or with documentation written after implementation. Its natural-language content is itself part of the Model and serves as input to design and realization.

A Literate Model records purposes, scenarios, decisions, and usage context that cannot be retained solely in formal structures on the Object or Functional side, and relates them to the formal Model.

Current CML (Cozy Modeling Language) is scoped to the executable portion of the Object Model. A complete Literate Model is not expected to be expressed in CML. Only formal elements extracted from and reviewed against a Literate Model are projected into CML.

A Use Case Scenario is one kind of Literate Model. Articles, requirements, Stories, decision records, and natural-language documents explaining the Domain Model may also constitute Literate Models when they are related to stable Model meaning and identities and serve as input to design, understanding, or validation.

A SimpleModeling Model treats the Literate Model as a constituent alongside the Object and Knowledge Models. SmartDox is the primary descriptive foundation for natural language, structured documents, diagrams, and term references. Glossary identities connect Literate Model content to the Object and Knowledge Models.