The importance of software requirements is widely acknowledged. However, many software projects still exhibit inadequate Requirements Engineering (RE) practice. More importantly, dealing with Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) remains as a challenge for software practitioners. This research aims at advancing RE practice through the co-development of requirements and architecture by utilizing the relationship between Architecturally Significant Requirements (ASRs) and Architectural Design Decisions (ADDs).
{"title":"From architecture to requirements: Relating requirements and architecture for better Requirements Engineering","authors":"F. Chen","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912297","url":null,"abstract":"The importance of software requirements is widely acknowledged. However, many software projects still exhibit inadequate Requirements Engineering (RE) practice. More importantly, dealing with Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) remains as a challenge for software practitioners. This research aims at advancing RE practice through the co-development of requirements and architecture by utilizing the relationship between Architecturally Significant Requirements (ASRs) and Architectural Design Decisions (ADDs).","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"175 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115283039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The growth of software complexity and high degree of dependencies between functionalities motivates the use of models during requirements engineering. Hence, readability and comprehensibility of currently requirements specification techniques should be increased. Additionally, multi-view modeling and tabular expression are widely accepted techniques in requirements documentation. We present a tool that allows structured multi-view modeling of the behavior of the system by means of tabular notation. Our tool provides various table patterns to support different behavior views, which leverage the advantages of tabular specification, e.g., unambiguous, precise, and easier to read, analyses and communicate. Our aim is to reduce the complexity in the development of software systems.
{"title":"Structured multi-view modeling by tabular notation","authors":"Xiuna Zhu, Dongyue Mou, D. Ratiu","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912280","url":null,"abstract":"The growth of software complexity and high degree of dependencies between functionalities motivates the use of models during requirements engineering. Hence, readability and comprehensibility of currently requirements specification techniques should be increased. Additionally, multi-view modeling and tabular expression are widely accepted techniques in requirements documentation. We present a tool that allows structured multi-view modeling of the behavior of the system by means of tabular notation. Our tool provides various table patterns to support different behavior views, which leverage the advantages of tabular specification, e.g., unambiguous, precise, and easier to read, analyses and communicate. Our aim is to reduce the complexity in the development of software systems.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"519 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116250621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The great impact that law has in the RE-process has called for new techniques and procedures to evaluate the alignment of requirements with applicable laws. In this paper we present a modeling language for the evaluation of compliance of requirements with a piece of law: Nòmos 3. We introduce our language and show the reasoning capabilities of our proposal.
{"title":"Nòmos 3: Reasoning about regulatory compliance of requirements","authors":"Silvia Ingolfo, A. Siena, J. Mylopoulos","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912273","url":null,"abstract":"The great impact that law has in the RE-process has called for new techniques and procedures to evaluate the alignment of requirements with applicable laws. In this paper we present a modeling language for the evaluation of compliance of requirements with a piece of law: Nòmos 3. We introduce our language and show the reasoning capabilities of our proposal.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125338908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christos Tsigkanos, L. Pasquale, C. Menghi, C. Ghezzi, B. Nuseibeh
Adaptive security systems aim to protect critical assets in the face of changes in their operational environment. We have argued that incorporating an explicit representation of the environment's topology enables reasoning on the location of assets being protected and the proximity of potentially harmful agents. This paper proposes to engineer topology aware adaptive security systems by identifying violations of security requirements that may be caused by topological changes, and selecting a set of security controls that prevent such violations. Our approach focuses on physical topologies; it maintains at runtime a live representation of the topology which is updated when assets or agents move, or when the structure of the physical space is altered. When the topology changes, we look ahead at a subset of the future system states. These states are reachable when the agents move within the physical space. If security requirements can be violated in future system states, a configuration of security controls is proactively applied to prevent the system from reaching those states. Thus, the system continuously adapts to topological stimuli, while maintaining requirements satisfaction. Security requirements are formally expressed using a propositional temporal logic, encoding spatial properties in Computation Tree Logic (CTL). The Ambient Calculus is used to represent the topology of the operational environment - including location of assets and agents - as well as to identify future system states that are reachable from the current one. The approach is demonstrated and evaluated using a substantive example concerned with physical access control.
{"title":"Engineering topology aware adaptive security: Preventing requirements violations at runtime","authors":"Christos Tsigkanos, L. Pasquale, C. Menghi, C. Ghezzi, B. Nuseibeh","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912262","url":null,"abstract":"Adaptive security systems aim to protect critical assets in the face of changes in their operational environment. We have argued that incorporating an explicit representation of the environment's topology enables reasoning on the location of assets being protected and the proximity of potentially harmful agents. This paper proposes to engineer topology aware adaptive security systems by identifying violations of security requirements that may be caused by topological changes, and selecting a set of security controls that prevent such violations. Our approach focuses on physical topologies; it maintains at runtime a live representation of the topology which is updated when assets or agents move, or when the structure of the physical space is altered. When the topology changes, we look ahead at a subset of the future system states. These states are reachable when the agents move within the physical space. If security requirements can be violated in future system states, a configuration of security controls is proactively applied to prevent the system from reaching those states. Thus, the system continuously adapts to topological stimuli, while maintaining requirements satisfaction. Security requirements are formally expressed using a propositional temporal logic, encoding spatial properties in Computation Tree Logic (CTL). The Ambient Calculus is used to represent the topology of the operational environment - including location of assets and agents - as well as to identify future system states that are reachable from the current one. The approach is demonstrated and evaluated using a substantive example concerned with physical access control.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"87 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133115738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this extended abstract, we present the ecosystemability assessment method as a means to assess the extent to which a software system, represented by its architecture and its development environment, supports the vision of ecosystem.
{"title":"EAM: Ecosystemability assessment method","authors":"E. Knauss, I. Hammouda","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912276","url":null,"abstract":"In this extended abstract, we present the ecosystemability assessment method as a means to assess the extent to which a software system, represented by its architecture and its development environment, supports the vision of ecosystem.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"68 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125902082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Evaluating the multidimensional and dynamic nature of IT business value is a continuous challenge. This paper examines how system dynamics can be used in evaluating IT business value in a company level. We approach IT business value as a web of impacts, where benefits and sacrifices are ultimately evaluated against company earnings logic. This study is based on an action research and covers a pilot project within two co-operating companies. System dynamics was utilised to construct a value creation model for an existing Gaming Management System. This value creation modelling covered two dimensions: 1) structural evaluation of IT impacts with cause-and-effect models, 2) dynamic evaluation and simulation of value realisation over time. As a result, value creation modelling was able to provide a visual overview of how IT impacts were linked to business value through value paths, and how much and when value was realised. Value creation modelling enabled prototyping of value realisation that can provide value based insights for development activities like requirements elicitation and analysis. The examined approach proved its potential for providing a common language for technology and business parties, thus improving IT business alignment.
{"title":"Evaluating the business value of information technology: Case study on game management system","authors":"Harri Töhönen, Marjo Kauppinen, T. Männistö","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912270","url":null,"abstract":"Evaluating the multidimensional and dynamic nature of IT business value is a continuous challenge. This paper examines how system dynamics can be used in evaluating IT business value in a company level. We approach IT business value as a web of impacts, where benefits and sacrifices are ultimately evaluated against company earnings logic. This study is based on an action research and covers a pilot project within two co-operating companies. System dynamics was utilised to construct a value creation model for an existing Gaming Management System. This value creation modelling covered two dimensions: 1) structural evaluation of IT impacts with cause-and-effect models, 2) dynamic evaluation and simulation of value realisation over time. As a result, value creation modelling was able to provide a visual overview of how IT impacts were linked to business value through value paths, and how much and when value was realised. Value creation modelling enabled prototyping of value realisation that can provide value based insights for development activities like requirements elicitation and analysis. The examined approach proved its potential for providing a common language for technology and business parties, thus improving IT business alignment.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117218797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
(Business) Process models are common artifacts in requirements engineering. The models can be enriched with plenty of (detailed) information and their at least semi formal character even enables model driven approaches or direct execution in workflow engines. Validity of process models is crucial. Manual checking is expensive and error-prone, especially for requirements that regard the content level (e.g. compliance). To enable automated checking, an adequate method for formal specification is necessary. We present the Business Application Modeler (BAM), which is a modeling and Validation & Verification tool that integrates modeling of processes and formal graphical validation rules. These rules can be automatically applied to process models. In particular, the modeler is supported by visualizations of checking results directly in the process models. Next to highlighting mechanisms this support includes recommendations for the correction of errors.
{"title":"Business Application Modeler: A process model Validation and Verification tool","authors":"Sören Witt, Sven Feja, A. Speck, C. Hadler","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912283","url":null,"abstract":"(Business) Process models are common artifacts in requirements engineering. The models can be enriched with plenty of (detailed) information and their at least semi formal character even enables model driven approaches or direct execution in workflow engines. Validity of process models is crucial. Manual checking is expensive and error-prone, especially for requirements that regard the content level (e.g. compliance). To enable automated checking, an adequate method for formal specification is necessary. We present the Business Application Modeler (BAM), which is a modeling and Validation & Verification tool that integrates modeling of processes and formal graphical validation rules. These rules can be automatically applied to process models. In particular, the modeler is supported by visualizations of checking results directly in the process models. Next to highlighting mechanisms this support includes recommendations for the correction of errors.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132451105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A proper requirements specification is paramount for achieving the quality of the developed software products. However, well-known Requirements Engineering (RE) techniques lack of enough expressiveness to model the requirements of CSCW systems (Computer Supported Collaborative Work). This is due to the inherent complexity of collaboration among users and their need of awareness. Moreover, the way in which users interact with CSCW systems have evolved greatly to more sophisticated interfaces, beyond the classical desktop computer environments, to those called Post-WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer). Awareness is magnified in such a way that users have to be aware of their context: the artifacts with which to interact, his/her own capabilities as well as those of the others. All this awareness is necessary to allow them to collaborate in virtual and/or augmented environments. This PhD thesis aims at solving this problem by developing a RE framework able to deal with the requirements of CSCW and Post-WIMP systems, making emphasis on the awareness requirements about user's context.
{"title":"Improving collaborative and Post-WIMP systems through requirements specification","authors":"Miguel A. Teruel","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912299","url":null,"abstract":"A proper requirements specification is paramount for achieving the quality of the developed software products. However, well-known Requirements Engineering (RE) techniques lack of enough expressiveness to model the requirements of CSCW systems (Computer Supported Collaborative Work). This is due to the inherent complexity of collaboration among users and their need of awareness. Moreover, the way in which users interact with CSCW systems have evolved greatly to more sophisticated interfaces, beyond the classical desktop computer environments, to those called Post-WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer). Awareness is magnified in such a way that users have to be aware of their context: the artifacts with which to interact, his/her own capabilities as well as those of the others. All this awareness is necessary to allow them to collaborate in virtual and/or augmented environments. This PhD thesis aims at solving this problem by developing a RE framework able to deal with the requirements of CSCW and Post-WIMP systems, making emphasis on the awareness requirements about user's context.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"19 Dermatol Sect 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134348140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Product knowledge plays an important role in identifying the requirements of the desired variant and configuring the existing product to the present needs of a customer. The success of a product-based business depends to a great extent on how efficiently and accurately the existing product knowledge is utilized for customization needs. Oftentimes however, product knowledge resides with few key individuals in an organization. In the absence of their involvement, project teams may redevelop product features unnecessarily, resulting in an effort overhead. Such overdependence poses a risk to projects. To identify the requirements for the variants accurately and efficiently, we need to have a thorough knowledge of the existing product features. In this paper, we discuss our work on representing product knowledge and reusing it in a Requirements Engineering (RE) exercise for a large project involving product customization. We present our experience from using the configurator for requirements gap analysis and customizations.
{"title":"Product knowledge configurator for requirements gap analysis and customizations","authors":"Preethu Rose Anish, S. Ghaisas","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912295","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912295","url":null,"abstract":"Product knowledge plays an important role in identifying the requirements of the desired variant and configuring the existing product to the present needs of a customer. The success of a product-based business depends to a great extent on how efficiently and accurately the existing product knowledge is utilized for customization needs. Oftentimes however, product knowledge resides with few key individuals in an organization. In the absence of their involvement, project teams may redevelop product features unnecessarily, resulting in an effort overhead. Such overdependence poses a risk to projects. To identify the requirements for the variants accurately and efficiently, we need to have a thorough knowledge of the existing product features. In this paper, we discuss our work on representing product knowledge and reusing it in a Requirements Engineering (RE) exercise for a large project involving product customization. We present our experience from using the configurator for requirements gap analysis and customizations.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134021889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Using natural language is still a common form of writing software requirements. Tools and techniques to improve the quality of natural language requirements may give better results than attempts to convince industry to use something else. We have combined natural language requirements with tool support using boilerplates and domain ontologies, enabling detection of ambiguities and incompleteness in requirements. This paper reports on a case study where requirement analysts used the developed tool to analyse requirements for a safety-critical control system. The experience showed that people were able to use the tool to develop a domain ontology and apply boilerplates to describe requirements in a structured way, yielding requirements readable for humans and analysable for the tool. The tool support improved the quality of requirements by reducing ambiguities and inconsistent use of terminology, removing redundant requirements, and improving partial and unclear requirements.
{"title":"The DODT tool applied to sub-sea software","authors":"T. Stålhane, Tormod Wien","doi":"10.1109/RE.2014.6912293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RE.2014.6912293","url":null,"abstract":"Using natural language is still a common form of writing software requirements. Tools and techniques to improve the quality of natural language requirements may give better results than attempts to convince industry to use something else. We have combined natural language requirements with tool support using boilerplates and domain ontologies, enabling detection of ambiguities and incompleteness in requirements. This paper reports on a case study where requirement analysts used the developed tool to analyse requirements for a safety-critical control system. The experience showed that people were able to use the tool to develop a domain ontology and apply boilerplates to describe requirements in a structured way, yielding requirements readable for humans and analysable for the tool. The tool support improved the quality of requirements by reducing ambiguities and inconsistent use of terminology, removing redundant requirements, and improving partial and unclear requirements.","PeriodicalId":307764,"journal":{"name":"2014 IEEE 22nd International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125730231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}