SENG109 Requirements Engineering Overview

Software Requirements Engineering (SENG109)

• Taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yenal ARSLAN
• Contact information provided

Requirements Engineering

• Requirements elicitation: Understanding what services end-users need from the system.
• Requirements analysis: Classifying, prioritizing, and negotiating requirements.
• Requirements validation: Determining if the proposed system meets user needs.
• Requirements management: Managing changes to the requirements document.

Requirement Validation

• A crucial process in software development.
• Around 56% of software development problems stem from errors in the requirement phase.
• Techniques are used to detect and rectify these errors.
• Ensures the product meets customer expectations.

Verification vs. Validation

• Verification: Ensuring the product is built right (correct implementation).
• Validation: Ensuring the product is built right product (correct requirements).
• Verification happens before validation.
• Validation is more expensive when errors are caught later in the process.

Requirement Validation Techniques

• Process: Templates and checklists.
• People: Peer review.
• Product: Prototype.

Developing Checklists

• Correctness: Requirements are correctly captured, not too broad or vague.
• Completeness: All scenarios and actors identified.
• Readability: Active voice and clear domain terminology.

Developing Checklists (continued)

• Requirements consistent with each other.
• Requirements practically achievable.
• Requirements are complete and contain all relevant information.
• Requirements meet the actual needs of the system.
• Requirements are understandable to stakeholders.
• Requirements described to prevent different interpretations.

Peer Review

• Informal peer review: Quick, unstructured feedback, not recorded or tracked.
• Formal peer review: Well-defined roles (subject matter expert, moderator, author, scribe), structured, recorded and tracked feedback.

Prototype

• A partial, preliminary implementation of a product.
• Used for: -Confirming requirement understanding. -Assessing architectural feasibility. -Moving from requirements to design.
• Different types include:
  • Mockup prototypes: visual representation of the product.
  • High fidelity prototypes: Detailed representation, simulating the real product.
  • Low fidelity prototypes: Focus on basic structure, gives a general idea.
• Tools for creating prototypes: Justinmind, UXPin, Balsamiq Wireframes, proto.io, POP, Mockplus, inVision.

Prototype Types

• Evolutionary: Building upon earlier iterations.
• Throwaway: Used for learning/understanding, discarded when finished.

Requirement Verification

• Checking if the implementation matches the requirements throughout the lifecycle.

• Checks include inspection, analysis, demonstration, testing, and expert review.

• ISO 29119 is a relevant standard for software testing.

Explore the key concepts of Requirements Engineering in this quiz focusing on elicitation, analysis, validation, and management. Understand the critical differences between verification and validation in software development. This quiz is designed to reinforce your understanding of the processes that ensure software meets user needs.