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Reports 1995
Published in 9th Intl. Software Process Workshop, Airlie, USA, October 1994 Abstract We propose decision-oriented process modelling as a step towards human-centered process management, and demonstrate some implications of this model for the interaction between process modelling, process enactment, and process performance in a CASE environment. We also discuss the potential our approach offers for experience based process improvement.
A General Framework for Describing the Requirements Engineering Process (NATURE-95-02.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Conf. on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, San Antonio, USA, October 1994 Abstract This article concerns automated guidance of the requirements engineering process in a CASE environment. We see guidance as part of a broader framework for process tracing, method engineering and process control which is sketched in the paper. This framework supports the claim that a process knowledge base cannot be built once and for all but must be constantly improved. This leads to the idea of a process knowledge base composed of a set of process chunks which are progressively defined. This is achieved by using the concepts of a guidance meta model which is the kernel of the paper.
Requirements engineering in the Year 2001: On (Virtually) Managing a Changing Reality (NATURE-95-03.ps.Z) Published in Software Engineering Journal, November 1994 Abstract Trends in society and technology force requirements engineering (RE) to expand its role from a one-shot activity in the development process to a virtual image that accompanies the changing reality of a system. A maturing software market will require a better understanding of the differentiation in market segments also for RE, and standardization of methodologies within these segments. On the research side, this will require a coherent perspective of hitherto parallel research directions towards a comprehensive understanding of requirements processes, as well as the optimal exploitation of new technologies that support the main role of requirements engineering: mutual learning of all stakeholders concerned.
Domain Modeling For Reuse (NATURE-95-04.ps.Z) Published in 3rd Intl. Conference on Software Reuse: Advances in Software Reusability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 1994 Abstract This paper presents a theory for reuse of domain knowledge during requirements engineering. The theory includes a set of formal and reusable domain abstractions, a computational analogical reasoning mechanism for their retrieval and tool support to enable both effective requirements modeling and critiquing and guided fact capture prior to retrieval. It was developed as part of the ESPRIT 6353 'Nature' basic research action. The paper argues that the theory has implications for domain modeling as well as domain knowledge reuse during requirements engineering.
An Approach For Defining Ways-of-Working (NATURE-95-05.ps.Z) Published in Information Systems Journal, Vol. 20, No. 4, 1995 Abstract Process modelling is considered today as a key issue by both, the Software Engineering (SE) and the Information Systems Engineering (ISE) community. However, most recent process models are descriptions of software development activities written in an executable form that computer systems can enforce. There is a need for process models which take into account heuristic knowledge to guide humans performing systems development. We refer to such guidance centred process models as 'ways-of-working'. So far, most work has concentrated on developing and experimenting with process modelling approaches and little attention has been paid to the problem of developing a method for defining a new process model. We propose in this paper, an approach for defining ways-of-working in a systematic manner. It is a meta-modelling approach in which a given way-of-working is constructed by instantiation of a process meta-model allowing to deal with a large variety of situations in a flexible, decision-oriented manner. Based on the properties of the meta-model, ways-of working are formally defined, with an appropriate level of genericity, and in a modular way to facilitate their evolution and improvement. They are designed for providing automated and flexible guidance in decision making during the process. The paper presents the approach, exemplifies it with the way-of-working defined within the Esprit project F3 and illustrates how the process is guided on an F3 case study.
How People Categorize Requirements For Reuse: A Natural Approach (NATURE-95-06.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Intl. Symp. on Requirements Engineering, 1995 Abstract This paper reports a knowledge acquisition exercise which elicited experienced software engineer's knowledge about domains for which requirements engineering takes place. Card sorts were used to acquire software engineers' mental categorisations of these domains to inform categorisation of a set of formal, reusable problem abstractions intended to assist requirements engineers.
A Set of Formal Problem Abstractions For Reuse During Requirement Engineering (NATURE-95-07.ps.Z) Published in Ingenerie des Systemes d'Informations (Special Issue on Requirements Engineering), Vol.2, No. 6, 1994 Abstract This paper presents a reuse-oriented approach to requirements engineering. It argues for a set of formal problem abstractions which represent the fundamental behaviour, structure, goals, constraints and objects of different classes of software engineering problems. It describes an intelligent toolkit to exploit a data base of problem abstractions during a range of requirements engineering activities. This approach, and the nature of the problem abstractions, are demonstrated through a detailed description of one segment of the problem space for sensing the physical and spatial location of moving objects.
Requirements Information Management: The NATURE Approach (NATURE-95-08.ps.Z) Published in Ingenerie des Systemes d'Informations (Special Issue on Requirements Engineering), Vol.2, No. 6, 1994 Abstract ESPRIT project NATURE aims at the development and evaluation of Novel Approaches to Theories Underlying Requirements Engineering. Such approaches are necessary because the environment in which RE has to operate has changed dramatically since the current methods were invented. The task of RE has moved from supporting the early phases of individual projects, to accompanying the whole lifecycle of complex, long-lived human-machine systems in a rapidly changing organizational environment. The NATURE framework addresses these new demands by defining a novel framework based on the idea that requirements engineering is a continuous process of establishing visions of different stakeholders in a complex context. Around this framework, NATURE has developed three specific theories. The requirements domain theory gives advice what context knowledge is relevant and how to organize it. The requirements process theory offers a unified process meta model in which a small set of building blocks covers a larger spectrum of process guidance strategies with more flexibility than other software process or workflow models. The knowledge representation theory aims at defining what domain and process knowledge to capture, and how to manage this knowledge using an effective mix of informal, semi formal and formal representations. While companion papers in this volume address the domain and process theories, we first present the overall NATURE framework and its implications for research directions in RE, and then focus on the knowledge representation theory. Specifically, we discuss the implications of the framework for repository-based process-centered RE environments, and some extensions towards large-scale distributed requirements management based on a generalization of the viewpoints idea. The concepts have been validated in a comprehensive prototype environment called PRO-ART which is also presented.
Modelling Ways-of-Working (NATURE-95-09.ps.Z) Published in 7th Intl. Conf. on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Jyvaeskylae, Finland, June 1995 Abstract We propose in this paper, an approach for defining in a systematicmanner, ways-of working providing guidelines for the development of information systems. It is a modelling approach in which a given way-of-working is constructed by instantiation of a way-of-working model allowing to deal with a large variety of situations in a flexible, decision-oriented manner. The paper presents the way-of-working model and exemplifies the construction of a specific way-of-working based on the OMT methodology.
Computational Mechanisms for Distributed Requirements Engineering (NATURE-95-10.ps.Z) Published in 7th Intl. Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering Conference, Maryland, USA, June 1995 Abstract This paper argues for new computational mechanisms to aid specificationof requirements for composite systems. It presents mechanisms for storing specification fragments, or viewpoints, and reasoning about these viewpoints to resolve semantic discrepancies prior to their integration in a comprehensive solution for distributed requirements engineering.
Goal-Driven Business Modelling: Supporting Decision-Making within Information Systems Development (NATURE-95-11.ps.Z) Published in Conf. on Organizational Computing Systems, Milpitas, USA, August 1995 Abstract Within information systems development business modelling is of tenused to structure goal decomposition and goal satisfaction. Business modells serve as a framework for a concrete informa tion systems project. However, the concept of goal is not explicit in the leading business reference models. In this paper we show how goals can be used to drive the modelling process. Goals are not only used as a starting point of development but serve as criteria to evaluate actions and decisions throughout the design. We show how business and goal models can be integrated using a common process meta model. An environment to support decision making in the business modelling process has been developed to demonstrate our approach.
Theories of meaning and different perspectives on information systems (NATURE-95-12.ps.Z) Published in IFIP WG 8.1 Intl. Working Conf. on Information System Concepts: Towards a Consolidation of Views, Marburg, Germany, March 1995 Abstract Even though automated information systems have been used inwork life for almost three decades, the academic discipline of information systems development is still in a 'pre-paradigmatic phase'. There is no central corpus of a well understood and accepted theory of how these artifacts should be understood and designed. What we see is a set of scattered methods and theories, with influences from a wide variety of other disciplines, such as logic, linguistics, philosophy, cognitive psychology, organizational theory, ethnography, etc. There is a practicalneed for creating an overview and a deeper understanding of how different theories and methods are related to each other, what their relative strengths and weaknesses are and when they are applicable.In this paper we will present such an overview, based on a discussion about different theories of meaning. A framework is presented that divides the usage context of an information system into three areas of interest: referential aspects, individual aspects, and social aspects. Different theories elaborate on these aspects in different ways and to different degrees. There are strong analogies between these theories and philosophical theories of meaning that elaborate on corresponding aspects. To bring out these analogies we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a set of approaches:
On Related Pragmatic Categories and Dependencies within Enterprise modelling (NATURE-95-13.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Scandinavian Research Seminar on Information and Decision Networks, Vaxjo University, Sweden, May 1995
Goal Driven Enterprise Modelling: Bridging Pragmatic and Semantic Descriptions of Information Systems. (NATURE-95-14.ps.Z) Published in European - Japanese Seminar on Information Modelling and Knowledge Bases, Sapporo, Japan, May 1995 Abstract Concepts, relationships and rules in the specification of requirements of information systems exist for some reason. They express the needs and rationale of requirements at pragmatic level. On the other hand, goals justify and explain the presence of requirement components. The problem here is to bridge the gap between the description of initial requirements and the precise specification of functional requirements of information systems. Explanation of goals in terms of static and dynamic constraints is of interest, because it allows the interpretation of goals as a driving force in the process of requirements modelling. The objective of this paper is to describe some pragmatic dependencies using several types of semantic relationships in the context of goal driven information system modelling. The purpose for introducing the interaction between different classes of semantic and pragmatic dependencies is that developed specification of information system could be unambiguously interpreted among domain experts, and that it could be used for assessment of the quality of requirements.
A Basis for Integration within Enterprise Modelling (NATURE-95-15.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Intl. Conf. on Concurrent Engineering: Research and Applications, Washington DC, USA, August 1995
Speech Acts On Trial (NATURE-95-16.ps.Z) Published in 3rd Decennial Conf. on Computers in Context - Joining Forces in Design, Arhus, Denmark, August 1995 Abstract In this document we discuss the general applicability of the speech act theory, as a theoretical foundation in the design of information technology (IT). We pay special attention to the acclimatization that speech act theory has undergone when applied in the IT-field. One of the questions we address concerns what happens when we import passive descriptive theories from other disciplines and use them as a basis in active design. The basic standpoint is that the speech act theory may be useful, if you are aware of its shortcomings. By surveying the various criticisms directed towards speech act based design, together with extensions and alternative approaches, we try to pinpoint these shortcomings. Our aim is to interpret the breakdowns of speech act based methods and discuss the need for further adaptation. This is done by means of a framework, also presented in the paper.
Requirements Analysis from Multiple Perspectives: Experiences with Conceptual Modeling Technology (NATURE-95-17.ps.Z) Published in IEEE Software, Vol. 13, No. 2, 1996 Abstract Informal, teamwork-oriented methods for requirements engineering can be strengthened by conceptual modeling tools for the analysis and interrelation of viewpoints expressed by multiple stakeholders in multiple different notations. Experiences gained with the meta data management system ConceptBase show that a simple but customizable meta modeling approach, combined with advanced query and view handling capabilities from the deductive database field, can significantly improve the quality of resulting requirements documents as well as focusing and accelerating the RE process. In terms of modeling strategy, these experiences advocate a modeling approach that exploits redundancy and tolerates inconsistency to provoke the elicitation of conflicts, with the goal of better understanding and deeper agreement. Reports 1994
Published in 3rd GI Workshop Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence: Administration and Processing of Complex Structures, Hamburg, Germany, February 1994 Abstract Evolution is a fact of life in information systems. Not only systems evolve but also their development processes. IS environments must therefore be designed for accommodating and managing change. The management of process meta models in repositories is one importantstep; we show how process traceability models and process guidance models can be developed and related in a standard repository framework. In addition, the currently available tool integration along the presentation, data, and controlperspectives have to be augmented for process integration. In our process-adaptable and interoperable tool concept, tool behavior is directly influenced by the process guidance model and automatically traced according to the traceability model. The approach is demonstrated with a prototype requirements engineering environment developed in ESPRIT project NATURE.
Requirements Critiquing Using Domain Abstractions (NATURE-94-02.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Conf. on Requirements Engineering, Colorado-Springs, USA, April 1994 Abstract Reusing domain abstractions representing key domain features has been shown to aid requirement specification, however their role in requirements engineering has not been investigated thoroughly. This paper proposes domain abstractions to aid requirements critiquing as well asspecification, thus maximising the payoff from retrieving domain abstractions. The requirements critic is part of a prototype intelligent requirements engineering toolkit being developed as part of the NATURE project, ESPRIT basicresearch action 6353. The critic retrieves domain abstractions to validate requirement specifications for problems including incompleteness, inconsistencies and ambiguities. Intelligent, mixed initiative dialogue between the critic and requirements engineer permits requirements critiquing at the right time and level of abstraction.
Modeling the evolution of artifacts (NATURE-94-03.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Conf. on Requirements Engineering, Colorado-Springs, USA, April 1994 Abstract The particular Requirements Engineering (RE) processmodeling approach being presented in this paper advocates the capture of the history of RE artifacts. An artifact is viewed as an Evolutionary Object which evolves as the RE process proceeds. The paper proposes a classification ofthe various kinds of evolution of artifacts and presents a generic model, the Evolutionary Object Model, to structure the RE history kept in the artifact's memory according to this classification. It emphasises the role of RE decisions in the evolutionary process and shows how the rationale of an artifact evolution can be expressed in terms of decisions and stored in the evolutionary object history.
A Contextual Approach for the Requirements Engineering Process (NATURE-94-04.ps.Z) Published in 6th Intl. Conf. on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, Jurmala, Latvia, June, 1994 Abstract Requirements specification methods and techniques havehitherto mainly been concerned with promoting various representation formalisms for formally describing information systems. However the emphasis on system modelling is shifting to process modelling. Our concern is the modelling of theRequirements Engineering (RE) process. The particular RE process modelling approach presented in the paper emphasises the notion of RE decision within the context in which it is taken. The context of decision is defined as a means to proceedlocally as well as globally in the RE process. The paper concentrates on the presentation of the contextual approach and its illustration through examples extracted from the case studies developed in the Esprit project F3 where this approach is defined and experienced in user companies projects.
Reuse of domain Knowledge during Requirements Engineering: an Explanation is Required (NATURE-94-05.ps.Z) Published in Submitted to Journal Abstract Requirements engineering is the most complex and error-pronephase of software development. Reusing domain abstractions representing the fundamental features of all instances of a class of software engineering domain has been shown to aid requirement specification, however domain abstractions aredifficult to understand. A controlled experiment investigated the effectiveness of domain abstraction reuse on the performance of inexperienced software engineers during a requirements engineering task. Reuse was aided by presentation of spatialdiagrams and prototypical examples, to examine their effect on recognition, understanding and adaptation of domain abstractions. Results were surprising and revealed that effective domain abstraction reuse may not be straightforward. Implicationsare reported for design of tools which encourage reuse during requirements engineering. The reported study demonstrates benefits which arise from evaluating designs of software engineering environments before their implementation.
Semantic Interoperability - Context, Issues, and Research Directions (NATURE-94-06.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Intl. Conf. on Cooperating Information Systems, Toronto, Canada, May 1994. Abstract An increasing dependence and cooperation betweenorganisations has created a need for many enterprises to access remote as well as local information sources. Thus, it becomes important to be able to interconnect, heterogeneous information systems. One form of heterogeneityis semantic heterogeneity, which occurs when there is a disagreement regarding the interpretation and intended use of related information, or when the same phenomenon in a Universe of Discourse is modelled in different ways in two systems. In this paper, we survey the basicproblems caused by semantic heterogeneity and suggest a number of research directions that address these problems.
Applying AI Techniques to Requirements Engineering: The NATURE Prototype (NATURE-94-07.ps.Z) Published in ICSE-Workshop on Research Issues in the Intersection Between Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, Sorrento, Italy, May 1994 Abstract Requirements Engineering (RE) is a critical part of softwareengineering. Within the NATURE (Novel Approaches to Theories Underlying Requirements Engineering) project we have developed and implemented five theories which are based on AI techniques for supporting and improving the requirements engineering process. For making the results comparable we have used the well known library example. Our contibution demonstrates that
K. Pohl, R. Dömges, M. Jarke
Computational Mechanisms for Reuse of Domain Knowledge during Requirements Engineering (NATURE-94-08.ps.Z) Published in ICSE-Workshop on Research Issues in the Intersection Between Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, Sorrento, Italy, May 1994
A Generic Approach to Support a Way-of-Working Defintion (NATURE-94-09.ps.Z) Published in 6th Intl. Conf. on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Utrecht, Netherlands, June 1994 Abstract Information System Engineering has made the assumption that an Information System is supposed to capture some excerpt of the real world history and hence has concentrated on systems modelling. Very little attention has been paid to the conceptual modelling process. However the emphasis on system modelling is shifting to process modelling. The particular process modelling approach being presented in this paper advocates the definition of a way-of-working (i.e. process models) to control and guide developers. The paper introduces a classification of the various kinds of evolution of objects and presents a decision-oriented process meta model to structure ways-of-working. We also describe some guidelines, related to our classification of object evolutions, to support method engineers in the task to define a way-of-working.
The COMMODIOUS Method-Communication Modelling as an Aid to Illustrate the Organizational Use of Software (NATURE-94-10.ps.Z) Published in 6th Intl. Conf. on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, Jurmala, Latvia, June 1994 Abstract This paper proposes a method for requirements capture, called the COMMODIOUS method. The basic idea is to produce an abstract model of organisational communication as a basis when formulating requirements on a software system. The user of the method should also specify how the software system is going to be used in this communication. Moreover the paper describes a support tool for this method, called the COMMODIOUS tool. The tool supports its users by using an extended version of the generic schema for communication for action, developed by Winograd and Flores, et al. The support is limited to situations where the software is meant to support communication between a customer and a supplier. The tool can check a model of communication sessions (discourses) for completeness and suggest standard solutions, i.e. what communicative actions (speech acts) that exist and how they may precede each other. It is also shown how parts of the information model are derivable from an abstract model of the discourse.
Estimating Similarity Between Software Artifacts (NATURE-94-11.ps.Z) Published in 6th Intl. Conf. on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, Jurmala, Latvia, June 1994 Abstract This paper presents a model of estimating the similarity of software artifacts so as to promote their analogical reuse. The model permits comparisons between artifacts developed at the various stages of the software development (i.e specifications, designs, and code) from conceptual descriptions of these artifacts. This is achieved by using metrics measuring the distance between such descriptions with respect to general conceptual modeling abstractions (i.e the classification, the generalization, and the attribution) underlying them. Similarity estimates are influenced by measures of salience of the involved attributes. Salience is measured as belief on three domain independent properties of attributes (i.e the charactericity, the abstractness and, the causality), suggested as predictive of their significance. A prototype of the model is presented together with an example of using similarity to support the specification of requirements by reuse.
Capturing Information Systems Requirements Through Enterprise and Speech Act Modeling (NATURE-94-12.ps.Z) Published in 6th Intl. Conf. on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Utrecht, Netherlands, June 1994 Abstract Enterprise modelling is a technique for capturing and validating information systems requirements. The validity depends on how well the requirements reflect the real needs of the enterprise and how well they are understood by both requirements holder and requirements engineer. In the F3 project, enterprise models are designed for modelling goals, activities, concepts and actors and linking them to information system requirements. Speech act modelling can improve traditional process and activity models, since it introduces a richer terminology in how people use information. The speech act modelling method, developed within the NATURE project, also introduces a classification of the organisational use of software. In this paper we illustrate how these two methods developed within the F3 and the NATURE project can be combined for improving the capture and validation of business process related information system requirements. We show this by applying the methods to a common example.
Traceability between Cross-Functional-Teams (NATURE-94-13.ps.Z) Published in 1st Intl. Conf. on Concurrent Engineering, Research and Application, Pittsburgh, USA, August 1994 Abstract Traceability between different views, which exist in cross-functional teams, is essential for concurrent engineering. The views (products) of the various teams must be interrelated to each other and presented in a suitable way to emphasize inconsistencies, conflicts, different opportunities. Moreover, decisions together with their rationales must be made explicit. We have developed and implemented a concurrent engineering environment which is based on four basic ideas:
Improving Communication and Decision Making within Quality Function Deployment (NATURE-94-14.ps.Z) Published in 1st Intl. Conf. on Concurrent Engineering, Research and Application, Pittsburgh, USA, August 1994 Abstract One of the main problems within concurrent engineering is the visibility of activities and knowledge across perspectives. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a method to enhance communication between developers of different views. It is based on reconciled planning and communication procedures arranged around a form called House-of-Quality (HoQ). Descriptions like "Listening to the Voice of the Customer" or "A Method for Guaranteeing Communication" emphasize the importance of communication. Most of todays QFD implementations neglect its communication aspects. Improving QFD with approaches used in the area of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) as well as Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) are leading to a new generation of QFD tools. This paper introduces the integration of two techniques Argumentation Systems and Electronic Meeting Systems into a QFD-tool.
Experience-Based Method Evaluation and Improvement: A Process Modeling Approach (NATURE-94-15.ps.Z) Published in IFIP WG 8.1 Conf. CRIS '94, Maastricht, Netherlands, September 1994 Abstract Little is known about the actual usage and evaluation of methods especially in the early phases of information systems engineering. This paper therefore advocates an experience-based approach in which methods and tools can be defined, applied, evaluated, and gradually improved. We argue that this requires three ingredients:
Reports 1993
Published in 1st Intl. Symp. on Requirements Engineering, San Diego, USA, 1993 Abstract NATURE is a collaborative basic research project on theories underlying requirements engineering funded by the ESPRIT III program of the European Communities. Its goals are to develop
Requirements Engineering by Example: An Empirical Study (NATURE-93-02.ps.Z) Published in 1st Intl. Symp. on Requirements Engineering, San Diego, USA, 1993 Abstract Domain abstraction reuse during requirements engineering was evaluated as a paradigm during use of a research tool. Iterative fact acquisition and abstraction retrieval, supported by example-based explanation of abstractions, was implemented in a prototype known as AIR. Observation of AIR's use by inexperienced software engineers revealed this paradigm's effectiveness despite several problems arising. These problems were examined to identify improvements to future versions of intelligent requirements engineering environments.
On the Retrieval of Reusable Software Component (NATURE-93-03.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Intl. Workshop on Software Reuse, Lucca, Italy, 1993 Abstract Starting from the principle of software reusability through formal specifications we suggest a model for the retrieval of reusable components utilizing the search techniques in database management systems. The formal specification language of software components is ASL. Component specifications will be translated into a specification written in the knowledge representation language Telos for storage and other manipulation. The retrieval of software components is based on signature matching between the signatures of goal specifications and those of reusable components. In this way, we overcome some of the main problems with respect to retrieval such as representation of reusable components, representation of goal specification, and name differences in the software. The retrieval mechanism is supported by the Database Management System ConceptBase.
People-Oriented Software Reuse: The Very Thought (NATURE-93-04.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Intl. Workshop on Software Reuse, Lucca, Italy, 1993 Abstract Most software reuse research has ignored the role of the software engineer. However, software engineers tend to be better reasoners and have more experiences to recall than tool-based reuse mechanisms. This paper argues for integrating software engineers into existing reuse paradigms and providing tool support to assist problem description and component understanding, selection and adaptation. However, empirical studies indicate that these reuse tasks are difficult, even for experienced software engineers. Therefore, guidelines and a high-level architecture for design of tool support are based on reports of behaviour and problems arising during reuse.
Use of Domain Knowledge for Requirements Validation (NATURE-93-05.ps.Z) Published in Proceedings of IFIP WG8.1 Conf. on Information System Development Process, Como, Italy, September 1993 Abstract This paper reports reuse of generic domain knowledge in the form of templates, patterns or cliches to aid requirements capture and validation. These templates are retrieved through machine-based analogical matching. A cooperative paradigm for domain knowledge reuse is proposed. Human interpretation of templates is needed to maximise benefits from knowledge reuse, necessitating explanation and exploration of domain templates.
Computer Aided Requirements Engineering (NATURE-93-06.ps.Z) Published in 2nd Workshop on the Next Generation of CASE-Tools, Trondheim, Norway, May 1991 Abstract Our aim is to do an advanced CASE tool for supporting the Requirements Engineering process. The RE process is based on
Requirements Engineering: An Integrated View of Representation, Process, and Domain (NATURE-93-07.ps.Z) Published in 4th Europ. Conf. on Software Engineering, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, September 1993 Abstract Reuse, system integration, and interoperability create a growing need for capturing, representing, and using application-level information about software-intensive systems and their evolution. In ESPRIT Basic Research Project NATURE, we are developing an integrative approach to requirements management based on a three-dimensional framework which addresses formalism as well as cognitive and social aspects. This leads to a new requirements process model which integrates human freedoms through allowing relatively free decisions in given situations. Classes of situations and decisions are defined with respect to the three-dimensional framework through the integration of informal and formal representations, theories of domain modeling, and the explicit consideration of nonfunctional requirements in teamwork. Technical support is provided by a conceptual modeling environment with knowledge acquisition through interactive as well as reverse modeling, and with similarity-based querying.
Vision Driven System Engineering (NATURE-93-08.ps.Z) Published in IFIP WG 8.1 Conf. on Information Systems Development Process, Como, Italy, September 1993 Abstract Clearly defining, maintaining, and exploiting the system vision is a central prerequisite for successful system engineering. We address the question how the visions are concretized and maintained in information systems evolution. Visions are broken down into goals according to constraints imposed by context, and traded off against other goals or habits which exist in this context. Context information is organized according to four worlds and the context breakdown is viewed under a three-dimensional space of cognitive understanding, social agreement, and technical representation. Different uses and the evolution of goals in the system engineering process are supported by a quality and improvement oriented process model which distinguishes between product, control and improvement activities. Working with this model can be supported by a knowledge-based repository structure that is compatible with the IRDS standard.
Bridging the Requirements Gap: Goals, Policies, and Objectives (NATURE-93-09.ps.Z) Published in 7th Intl. Workshop on Software Specification and Design, Redondo Beach, USA, December 1993 Abstract A model for requirements engineering is described which uses a taxonomy of goal-types to guide further analysis. Goals are classified according to the desired system state described in requirements statements. Heuristics then prompt further description of functions according to each goal class. Other analyses encourage expansion of goal statements into specification of objects agents, activity and information processes. These link functional decomposition of requirements to object oriented modelling. Implications of the model and supporting tools are briefly reviewed.
Establishing Visions in Context: Toward a Model of Requirements Engineering (NATURE-93-10.ps.Z) Published in 14th Intl. Conf. on Information Systems, Orlando, USA, December, 1993 Abstract A model of requirements determination as the process of establishing visions in context explains how both new ideas and existing habits influence diversity in a family of information systems applications. Visions are operationalized as non-functional requirements which are broken down according to constraints imposed by context, and traded off against other non-functional requirements. Context is organized according to four "worlds", taking into account the need for considering application domain (subject world), organizational context (usage world), existing systems (system world), and the development environment itself (development world). Process is modeled as driven by context-dependent decisions which, together with external factors, cause moves within a three-dimensional space of cognitive understanding, social agreement, and technical representation. The framework leads to a formally based and computer-supported requirements engineering environment which is currently developed and practically evaluated by the ESPRIT project NATURE.
Reusable Process Chunks (NATURE-93-11.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Conf. on Database and Expert Systems Applications, Prague, Slovakia, September 1993 Abstract Reusability of project components, either at the code level or at the conceptual specification level, is considered a fundamental aspect in application development. More recently it as been argued that project histories can support reuse of design decisions. We propose a solution based on so-called process chunks which are generic process frames to resolve the issue stated by a generic requirements engineering (RE) situation. Chunks are classified into micro-chunks and macro-chunks. The latter support the decision making process whereas the former help in implementing the decision. The RE activity based on these chunks consists of (1) recognising a situation as belonging to the class of situations treated by a chunk and (2) the instanciation of the process frame. The benefit expected from this approach is threefold:
Modeling the Requirements Engineering Process (NATURE-93-12.ps.Z) Published in 3rd European-Japanese Seminar on Information Modelling and Knowledge Bases, Budapest, Hungary, June 1993 Abstract Information System Engineering has made the assumption that an Information System is supposed to capture some excerpt of the real world history and hence has concentrated on modeling. This has caused the introduction of a large variety of models and especially conceptual models by which an information system can be modelled in high level conceptual terms. By contrast, very little attention has been paid to the conceptual modeling process which has the purpose of investigating the requirements of the users community and abstracting from that the conceptual specification of the information system. This results in a low level of support provided to requirements engineers. However, the emphasis on system modeling is shifting to process modeling. The need for process modeling motivates the process stream of the NATURE Esprit project. The Requirements Engineering Process model developed within this project is the main topic of this paper. The particular RE process modeling approach chosen in NATURE emphasises the notion of decision within the context in which it is taken. The paper outlines the modeling approach. It details and exemplifies the main concepts proposed to model the RE process and their relationships. Finally, it sketches the advantages of the process model by introducing its different usages.
Product Modeling for Requirements Engineering Process Modeling (NATURE-93-13.ps.Z) Published in IFIP WG 8.1 Conf. on Information Systems Development Process, Como, Italy, September 1993 Abstract Current Information Systems (IS) development methodologies only sketch the definition of their development process, resulting in a low level of support to the developers. This paper first stresses the need to define new process models to underlie better the specifications development process. Second, it provides an overview of the solution proposed in the ESPRIT project NATURE, in the context of the Requirements Engineering phase. Then, the emphasis is put on the need to precisely model the IS development product in order to support process modeling. A product model is thus detailed, argued and illustrated on examples. Reports 1992
Published in IFIP 8.2 Working Conference 'The Impact of Computer Supported Technologies on Informations System Development' Minneapolis, USA, June 1992 Abstract The quality of IS has not been a major impact of computer-aided software engineering so far. We characterize the requirements for quality oriented CASE in IS and present a stepwise procedure how something like TQM can be achieved in software environments through process-oriented repository technology.
Trends and Perspectives in Conceptual Modeling (NATURE-92-02.ps.Z) Published in Conceptual Modeling, Databases and CASE: An Integrated View of Information Systems Development, P. Loucopoulos, R. Zicari (eds.) WILEY, 1992 Abstract Conceptual modelling refers to the part of system development that involves investigating the problems and requirements of the users community and from that, developing a specification of the desired system. Conceptual modelling addresses two major aspects: the conceptual product (the so-called conceptual schema) and the conceptual process (the modelling process to deliver the conceptual product). Contributions to the field of conceptual modelling have emphasized the product aspect. A large variety of conceptual models have proposed high level concepts and abstraction mechanisms by which systems may be described at a conceptual level. Conceptual models have proved to be extremely useful throughout the information system life cycle and, hence, to be one of the most fundamental tools in the area of information systems engineering. However the growing demand for large and complex information systems calls for the introduction of new and more precise, formal techniques to model reality. In contrast to the mature level of research on conceptual models,there is an evident lack of understanding and formalization of the conceptual modelling process. This consists of knowledge acquisition and the validation cycle. The acquisition step has the purpose of abstracting and conceptualizing relevant parts of the application domain. The validation step has the objective to check whether the conceptual specifications are consistent and whether they correctly express the requirements stated by the users. We believe that an important research effort should be done in understanding and formalizing the activities as well as in modelling the process itself in order to develop advanced and automated supports for process guidance and automatization. The paper discusses both aspects of conceptual modelling, states the main research results and outlines new research perspectives.
Natural Language Approach to Conceptual Modeling (NATURE-92-03.ps.Z) Published in Conceptual Modeling, Databases and CASE: An Integrated View of Information Systems Development, P. Loucopoulos, R. Zicari (eds.) WILEY, 1992 Abstract The term Requirements Engineering refers to this part of a database development cycle that involves investigating the problems and requirements of the users community and developing a conceptual specification of the future system. Natural language plays an important role during this stage that has proved to be crucial in the development of computerized systems. The acquisition of application domain knowledge is achieved either through documents and texts analysis or by means of interviews i.e. through language manipulation. Similarly validation of the specification is made via oral discussions with users. The paper proposes that Requirements Engineering (RE) should be supported by a CASE tool based on a linguistic approach. It presents a RE support environment that generates the conceptual specification from a description of the problem space provided through natural language statements. Complementary, validation is based on texts generation from the conceptual specification to natural language. The paper focusses on the linguistic approach, demonstrates its generality and overviews its implementation in a CASE tool.
Specification Management with CAD0 (NATURE-92-04.ps.Z) Published in Conceptual Modeling, Databases and CASE: An Integrated View of Information Systems Development, P. Loucopoulos, R. Zicari (eds.) WILEY, 1992 Abstract Specification management has many facets which are tackled by several different disciplines. Conceptual modeling - supported by extended database technology - turns out to be a suitable basis for the unification of these contributions in integrated software IS. Due the central importance of process aspects in specification management, such a conceptual model has to include both a structured and versioned object submodel and a strongly teamwork oriented execution model.
Support of Security Modeling in Information Systems Design (NATURE-92-05.ps.Z) Published in IFIP 11.3 Working Conference on Database Security, Vancouver, Canada, August 1992 Abstract We present a set of modeling constructs and reasoning tools that extend the use of computer-supported conceptual modeling for IS to the study of security aspects. The modeling framework is the Group Security Model (GSM) which describes access rights through a teamwork oriented organizational model. Reasoning about GSM application models is enabled by representing them in a deductive and object-oriented database language, TELOS. A prototype implementation system ConceptBase is reported.
Building Information System Requirements Using Generic Structures (NATURE-92-06.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Computer Software and Applications Conf., Chicago, USA, September 1992 Abstract We present generic knowledge to speed up the construction of information system requirements and more importantly the behavioural part of entities. Our solution is based on the hypothesis that generic structures (independent of a particular application) can be associated to classes of real world phenomena. Building information systems requirements using such structures means to instantiate those structures to the current context. The designer has no longer to redo the conceptualization effort, he can concentrate on the perception of the reality beeing described. In order to use those structures and to represent the generic knowledge, we present a design model process based on the triplet formalism <situation, decision, action>.
Organizing Software Repositories (NATURE-92-07.ps.Z) Published in Intl. Computer Software and Applications Conf., Chicago, USA, September 1992 Abstract Software repositories should not only provide the service of managing evolving objects. Repository technolgy can also be used to maintain the consistency among software object and software-related descriptions in integrated environments. This requires addressing the representational adequacy and semantics of present object management systems. Based on experiences gained in a series of CASE integration projects this paper points out abstractional, assertional and dynamic clustering requirements of a data modeling language for repository managers. A simple example illustrates how the deductive object management system ConceptBase embodying TELOS as its data model meets these requirements.
Similarity for Analogical Software Reuse: A Conceptual Modelling Approach (NATURE-92-08.ps.Z) Published in ERCIM Workshop on Methods and Tools for Software Reuse, Heraklion, Greece, October 1992 Abstract We present our approach to defining similarity between software artifacts and discuss its potential exploitation in software reuse by analogy. We first establish properties similarity which support its role in retrieving and mapping software descriptions. Then we develop a systematic basis for comparison within a fairly general conceptual modelling framework, whereby comparable elements of the descriptions of software objects and corresponding similarity criteria are identified. Finally, a general form of distance metric for the computation of similarity measures is defined.
Domain Abstractions in Requirements Engineering: an Exemplar Approach (NATURE-92-09.ps.Z) Published in 7th Knowledge-Based Software Engineering Conf., McLean, USA, September 1992 Abstract This paper reports an intelligent advisor which assists software engineers to reuse domain abstractions to improve the completeness and clarity of requirement specifications. Understanding unfamiliar domain abstractions can be difficult, so partial exposure and visualisation of concrete examples and metaphors are proposed to aid comprehension prior to reuse. These strategies are incorporated into an iterative fact acquisition and domain retrieval dialogue with important implications for fact capture and modelling during requirement engineering. The effectiveness of this paradigm is shown during user studies with a prototype of the intelligent advisor, during which software engineering retrieved and understood correct domain abstractions whilst analysing a new domain.
Concept Formation by Reverse Modelling (NATURE-92-10.ps.Z) Published in Technical Report SI-92-01 Abstract In this report, we study how relational schemas can be translated into conceptual schemas. We first give an overview of the modelling language ConceptBase. To illustrate how ConceptBase can be used we include two models. The first one is a meta model of the relational model, and the second is a meta model of a conceptual modelling language. In the meta models, we have focused on those aspects that are relevant for the translation of a relational schema into a conceptual one.
The Three Dimensions of Requirements Engineering (NATURE-92-11.ps.Z) Published in 5th Intl. Conf. on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Paris, France, June 1993 Abstract Requirements engineering (RE) is perceived as an area of growing importance. Due to the increasing effort spent for research in this area many contributions to solve different problems within RE exist. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main goals to be reached during the requirements engineering process in order to develop a framework for RE. This framework consists of the three dimensions:
Quality Informations Systems: Repository Support for Evolving Process Models (NATURE-92-12.ps.Z) Published in Aachener Informatik-Berichte 92--37, RWTH Aachen Abstract Relationships between TQM and process support in CASE environments are established in two ways: firstly, by analysing the repository requirements for each stage in the SEI process maturity model, enhanced by team-support aspects; secondly, by presenting a quality-centered process model that formally differentiates but als integrates the aspect of process definition, process evaluation and process improvement.
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