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- Alenljung, Beatrice
(författare)
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Envisioning a Future Decision Support System for Requirements Engineering : A Holistic and Human-centred Perspective
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Complex decision-making is a prominent aspect of requirements engineering (RE) and the need for improved decision support for RE decision-makers has been identified by a number of authors in the research literature. The fundamental viewpoint that permeates this thesis is that RE decision-making can be substantially improved by RE decision support systems (REDSS) based on the actual needs of RE decision-makers as well as the actual generic human decision-making activities that take place in the RE decision processes. Thus, a first step toward better decision support in requirements engineering is to understand complex decision situations of decision-makers. In order to gain a holistic view of the decision situation from a decision-maker’s perspective, a decision situation framework has been created. The framework evolved through an analysis of decision support systems literature and decision-making theories. The decision situation of RE decision-makers has been studied at a systems engineering company and is depicted in this thesis. These situations are described in terms of, for example, RE decision matters, RE decision-making activities, and RE decision processes. Factors that affect RE decision-makers are also identified. Each factor consists of problems and difficulties. Based on the empirical findings, a number of desirable characteristics of a visionary REDSS are suggested. Examples of characteristics are to reduce the cognitive load, to support creativity and idea generation, and to support decision communication. One or more guiding principles are proposed for each characteristic and available techniques are described. The purpose of the principles and techniques is to direct further efforts concerning how to find a solution that can fulfil the characteristic. Our contributions are intended to serve as a road map that can direct the efforts of researchers addressing RE decision-making and RE decision support problems. Our intention is to widen the scope and provide new lines of thought about how decision-making in RE can be supported and improved.
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| 2. |
- Borg, Andreas, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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The Bad Conscience of Requirements Engineering : An Investigation in Real-World Treatment of Non-Functional Requirements
- 2003
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Ingår i: Third Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice in Sweden (SERPS'03), Lund. ; , s. 1-8
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Even though non-functional requirements (NFRs) are critical in order to provide software of good quality, the literature of NFRs is relatively sparse. We describe how NFRs are treated in two development organizations, an Ericsson application center and the IT department of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. We have interviewed professionals about problems they face and their ideas on how to improve the situation. Both organizations are aware of NFRs and related problems but their main focus is on functional requirements,primarily because existing methods focus on these. The most tangible problems experienced are that many NFRs remain undiscovered and that NFRs are stated in non-measurable terms. It became clear that the size andstructure of the organization require proper distribution of employees’ interest, authority and competence of NFRs. We argue that a feasible solution might be to strengthen the position of architectural requirements, which are more likely to emphasize NFRs.
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| 3. |
- Carlshamre, Pär
(författare)
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A collaborative approach to usability engineering : technical communicators and system developers in usability-oriented systems development
- 1994
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For the last 20 years, the human-computer interaction research community has provided a multitude of methods and techniques intended to support the development of usable systems, but the impact on industrial software development has been limited. One of the reasons for this limited success is argued to be the gap between traditional academic theory generation and industrial practice.Furthermore, technical communicators (TCs) have until recently played a subordinate role in software design, even in usability-oriented methods. Considering their close relation to the users of the developed systems, and to the usability issue itself, they constitute a hidden resource, which potentially would contribute to the benefit of more usable systems.We formed the Delta project as a joint effort between industry and academia. The objectives of the project were to jointly develop usability-oriented method extensions, adapted for a particular industrial setting, and to account for the specialist competence of the TCs in the software development process. This thesis is a qualitative study of the development, introduction and evaluation of the Delta method extension. The analysis provides evidence in favor of a closer collaboration between system developers (SDs) and TCs. An additional outcome of the in-depth study is a proposed redefinition of the extended interface concept, taking into account the inseparability of user documentation and user interface, while providing a natural common ground for a closer collaboration between SDs and TCs.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Carlshamre, Pär
(författare)
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A usability perspective on requirements engineering : from methodology to product development
- 2001
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Usability is one of the most important aspects of software. A multitude of methods and techniques intended to support the development of usable systems has been provided, but the impact on industrial software development has been limited. One of the reasons for this limited success is the gap between traditional academic theory generation and commercial practice. Another reason is the gap between usability engineering and established requirements engineering practice. This thesis is based on empirical research and puts a usability focus on three important aspects of requirements engineering: elicitation, specification and release planning.There are two main themes of investigation. The first is concerned with the development and introduction of a usability-oriented method for elicitation and specification of requirements, with an explicit focus on utilizing the skills of technical communicators. This longitudinal, qualitative study, performed in an industrial setting in the first half of the nineties, provides ample evidence in favor of a closer collaboration between technical communicators and system developers. It also provides support for the benefits of a task-oriented approach to requirements elicitation. The results are also reflected upon in a retrospective paper, and the experiences point in the direction of an increased focus on the specification part, in order to bridge the gap between usability engineering and established requirements management practice.The second represents a usability-oriented approach to understanding and supporting release planning in software product development. Release planning is an increasingly important part of requirements engineering, and it is complicated by intricate dependencies between requirements. A survey performed at five different companies gave an understanding of the nature and frequency of these interdependencies. This knowledge was then turned into the design and implementation of a support tool, with the purpose of provoking a deeper understanding of the release planning task. This was done through a series of cooperative evaluation sessions with release planning experts. The results indicate that, although the tool was considered useful by the experts, the initial understanding of the task was overly simplistic. As a result, a number of design implications are proposed.
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| 6. |
- Carlshamre, Pär, et al.
(författare)
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An Industrial Survey of Requirements Interdependencies in Software Product Release Planning
- 2001
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Ingår i: In Proc. Fifth IEEE Int. Symposium on Requirements Engineering (RE'01). - : IEEE. - 0769511252 ; , s. 84-91
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The task of finding an optimal selection of requirements for the next release of a software system is difficult as requirements may depend on each other in complex ways. The paper presents the results from an in-depth study of the interdependencies within 5 distinct sets of requirements, each including 20 high-priority requirements of 5 distinct products from 5 different companies. The results show that: (1) roughly 20% of the requirements are responsible for 75% of the interdependencies; (2) only a few requirements are singular; (3) customer-specific bespoke development tend to include more functionality- related dependencies whereas market-driven product development have an emphasis on value-related dependencies. Several strategies for reducing the effort needed for identifying and managing interdependencies are outlined. A technique for visualization of interdependencies with the aim of supporting release planning is also discussed. The complexity of requirements interdependency analysis is studied in relation to metrics of requirements coupling. Finally, a number of issues for further research are identified
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Carlshamre, Pär
(författare)
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Release Planning in Market-Driven Software Product Development : Provoking an Understanding
- 2002
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Ingår i: Requirements Engineering. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0947-3602 .- 1432-010X. ; 7:3, s. 139-151
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In market-driven software development, release planning is one of the most critical tasks. Selecting a subset of requirements for realisation in a certain release is as complex as it is important for the success of a software product. Despite this, the literature provides little information on how release planning is done in practice. We designed, implemented and evaluated a support tool for release planning as a means for provoking a rich understanding of the task of release planning. The tool utilises a selection algorithm which, based on value, resource estimate and interdependencies, presents a number of valid and good release suggestions. The initial attempt at supporting release planning proved to be based on an overly simplistic and structuralistic view. The results provide ample evidence that the task could be characterised as a wicked problem, which in turn has several implications for the support needed. Although the provotype could indeed support the planner, in its current version it has several serious shortcomings related to the degree of interactivity, underlying models, presentation of information and general appearance. A rich description of the task of release planning is provided. Based on these findings, a list of design implications is proposed, which is intended to guide the future design of a support tool for release planning.
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