An Approach to Generate Tools for i* Languages

Abstract

i* is goal-oriented requirement modeling framework with an increasing use in industry and academy. One of the main challenges in adopting this framework, is the diversity of variants/dialects of the i* modeling language. These variants were created by different research groups to address their particular purposes and are supported by specific CASE tools. Considering them, it is possible to identify a set of common modeling elements, as well as a set of different modeling elements. We understand that these variants are part of the same family of i* based languages. Hence, a specific i* based language can be obtained from an i* language family, similarly to a product obtained from a software product line. To define the core assets of such i* language family, we identify their common and variable characteristics by comparing various i* based languages. From this comparison, we propose a core metamodel for the i* language family and a process to configure it to generate graphical editors for any i* based language. As a running example, we show how to derive the metamodel for the Aspectual i* modeling language and generate a graphic editor for this language.