Use, potential, and showstoppers of models in automotive requirements engineering

Several studies report that the use of model-centric methods in the automotive domain is widespread and offers several benefits. However, existing work indicates that few modelling frameworks explicitly include requirements engineering (RE), and that natural language descriptions are still the status quo in RE. Therefore, we aim to increase the understanding of current and potential future use of models in RE, with respect to the automotive domain. In this paper, we report our findings from a multiple-case study with two automotive companies, collecting interview data from 14 practitioners. Our results show that models are used for a variety of different purposes during RE in the automotive domain, e.g. to improve communication and to handle complexity. However, these models are often used in an unsystematic fashion and restricted to few experts. A more widespread use of models is prevented by various challenges, most of which align with existing work on model use in a general sense. Furthermore, our results indicate that there are many potential benefits associated with future use of models during RE. Interestingly, existing research does not align well with several of the proposed use cases, e.g. restricting the use of models to informal notations for communication purposes. Based on our findings, we recommend a stronger focus on informal modelling and on using models for multi-disciplinary environments. Additionally, we see the need for future work in the area of model use, i.e. information extraction from models by non-expert modellers

An Empirical Investigation of Using Models During Requirements Engineering in the Automotive Industry

Context:The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation from a manufacturing industry towards an industry that relies heavily on software. As one of the main factors for project success, requirements engineering (RE) plays a major role in this transition. Similar to other areas of automotive engineering, the use of models during RE has been suggested to increase productivity and tackle increasing complexity by means of abstraction. Existing modelling frameworks often prescribe a variety of different, formal models for RE, trying to maximise the benefit obtained from model-based engineering (MBE). However, these frameworks are typically based on assumptions from anecdotal evidence and experience, without empirical data supporting these assumptions.Objective:The overall aim of our research is to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of using model-based RE in an automotive environment based on empirical evidence. To do so, we present an investigation of the current industrial practice of MBE in the automotive industry, existing challenges in automotive RE, and potential use cases for model-based RE. Furthermore, we explore two use cases for model-based RE, namely the creation of behavioural requirements models for validation and verification purposes and the use of existing trace models to support communication.Method:We address the aims of this thesis using three empirical strategies: case study, design science and survey. We collected quantitative and qualitative data using interviews as well as questionnaires.Results:Our results show that using models during automotive RE can be beneficial, if restricted to certain aspects of RE. In particular, models supporting communication and stakeholder interaction are promising. We show that the use of abstract models of behavioural requirements are considered beneficial for system testing purposes, even though they abstract from the detailed functional requirements. Furthermore, we demonstrate that existing data can be understood as a model to uncover dependencies between stakeholders. Conclusions:Our results question the feasibility to construct and maintain large amounts of formal models for RE. Instead, models during RE should be used for a few, important use cases. Additionally, MBE can be used as a means to understand existing problems in software engineering

Understanding requirements dependency in requirements prioritization: a systematic literature review

Requirement prioritization (RP) is a crucial task in managing requirements as it determines the order of implementation and, thus, the delivery of a software system. Improper RP may cause software project failures due to over budget and schedule as well as a low-quality product. Several factors influence RP. One of which is requirements dependency. Handling inappropriate handling of requirements dependencies can lead to software development failures. If a requirement that serves as a prerequisite for other requirements is given low priority, it affects the overall project completion time. Despite its importance, little is known about requirements dependency in RP, particularly its impacts, types, and techniques. This study, therefore, aims to understand the phenomenon by analyzing the existing literature. It addresses three objectives, namely, to investigate the impacts of requirements dependency on RP, to identify different types of requirements dependency, and to discover the techniques used for requirements dependency problems in RP. To fulfill the objectives, this study adopts the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. Applying the SLR protocol, this study selected forty primary articles, which comprise 58% journal papers, 32% conference proceedings, and 10% book sections. The results of data synthesis indicate that requirements dependency has significant impacts on RP, and there are a number of requirements dependency types as well as techniques for addressing requirements dependency problems in RP. This research discovered various techniques employed, including the use of Graphs for RD visualization, Machine Learning for handling large-scale RP, decision making for multi-criteria handling, and optimization techniques utilizing evolutionary algorithms. The study also reveals that the existing techniques have encountered serious limitations in terms of scalability, time consumption, interdependencies of requirements, and limited types of requirement dependencies

REFLEXIÓN SOBRE LA ESPECIFICACIÓN DE REQUERIMIENTOS DENTRO DE UN CONTEXTO UNIVERSITARIO

Este artículo, aborda la especificación de requerimientos, a partir del marco teórico que sobre el mismo hacen los autores propuestos en los currículos de las materias de Análisis y Diseño de Sistemas e Ingeniería de Software, las cuales hacen parte del programa de Ingeniería de Sistemas de la Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander Ocaña. Los conceptos expuestos son verificados mediante la revisión de los proyectos de grado, que tienen como objetivo principal la construcción de un sistema o software. Desde luego, la academia tiene la responsabilidad de seguir buenas prácticas, éstas no se evidencian dentro del material estudiado, al encontrar que se siguen cometiendo los errores comunes que se advierten en la literatura y que en ella misma se indica cómo evitarlos; esto se demuestra al encontrar que los detalles de caso de uso son la práctica predominante de especificar requerimientos, pero como se encuentran escritos no obedecen a una notación estricta o completa a pesar que la forma de representarlos está escrita en lenguaje natural estructurado

Representing Variability in Software Architecture: A Systematic Literature Review

Variability in software - intensive systems is the ability of a software artefact (e.g., a system, subsystem, or component) to be extended, customised or configured for deployment in a specific context. Software Architecture is a high - level description of a software - intensive system that abstracts the system implementation details allowing the architect to view the system as a whole. Although variability in software architecture is recognised as a challenge in multiple domains, there has been no formal consensus on how variability should be captured or represented. The objective of this research was to provide a snapshot of the state - of - the - art on representing variability in software architecture while assessing the nature of the different approaches. To achieve this objective, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted covering literature produced from January 1991 until June 2016. Then, grounded theory was used to conduct the analysis and draw conclusions from data, mini mising threats to validity. In this paper , we report on the findings from the study

Mining Architectural Information: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context: Mining Software Repositories (MSR) has become an essential activity in software development. Mining architectural information to support architecting activities, such as architecture understanding and recovery, has received a significant attention in recent years. However, there is an absence of a comprehensive understanding of the state of research on mining architectural information. Objective: This work aims to identify, analyze, and synthesize the literature on mining architectural information in software repositories in terms of architectural information and sources mined, architecting activities supported, approaches and tools used, and challenges faced. Method: A Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) has been conducted on the literature published between January 2006 and November 2021. Results: Of the 79 primary studies finally selected, 8 categories of architectural information have been mined, among which architectural description is the most mined architectural information; 12 architecting activities can be supported by the mined architectural information, among which architecture understanding is the most supported activity; 81 approaches and 52 tools were proposed and employed in mining architectural information; and 4 types of challenges in mining architectural information were identified. Conclusions: This SMS provides researchers with promising future directions and help practitioners be aware of what approaches and tools can be used to mine what architectural information from what sources to support various architecting activities.Comment: 68 pages, 5 images, 15 tables, Manuscript submitted to a Journal (2022

Comprehensive and Targeted Access to and Visualization of Decision Knowledge

[Context & Motivation] Developers need to document decisions and related decision knowledge during the software development process. This ensures that future decisions can be assessed in the right context and past decisions can be retraced and understood. The documentation of decision knowledge encompasses all aspects that comprise a decision, including the problem, alternatives, arguments for and against these alternatives, and the selected solution. Since the value of the documentation is not immediately apparent, it is important to provide tools that allow easy documentation and coherent visualization of the documented knowledge. It also demands maintenance of the documentation to ensure consistency and completeness. [Contributions] This thesis provides a problem investigation, a treatment design, and an evaluation concerning the management and visualization of documented decision knowledge. The problem investigation was done in the form of a literature review on current approaches towards the grouping of decision knowledge. The results of the review show that decision grouping is often merely a small part of larger frameworks. These frameworks either use predefined labels for their groups or allow the users to freely select group names. The practical contributions in this thesis are the extension of the Jira ConDec plug-in, which provides features for the documentation and visualization of decision knowledge within Jira. In particular, a grouping possibility for decisions as well as respective views and filters were added to this plug-in. To keep the necessary time spent on the documentation process as low as possible, it was decided to use a mix of fixed groups, in the form of different decision levels and custom groups, which the user is free to assign. New views were implemented which allow users to see relationships between source code and Jira issues and a dashboard is built, which can be used to assess the completeness of decision knowledge within a Jira project. The implementation was preceded by a specification of requirements and a design phase. Extensive testing, including system and component tests, were part of the quality assurance phase. Lastly, an evaluation was done by creating and analysing a gold standard of decision knowledge documentation and a survey with developers who provided feedback on the plug-in extension. [Conclusions] The main focus of the thesis was to improve the visualization of relationships between knowledge elements. The evaluation showed that especially those views, creating connections between Jira elements and code classes were highly anticipated by ConDec users, as support for this form of visualization did not exist. The newly implemented features were almost uniformly evaluated positively. Some concerns were expressed about a need for even more information to be displayed within the views. This was a result of the compromise between a wealth of information and a possible overload in individual views. Evaluation of the responsiveness and time behaviour of the newly implemented features also showed that loading times were passable but require more focus in future works to improve the user experience thoroughly

The designation and stringent prudential regulation of systemically important banks in South Africa

Thesis (PhD (Banking Law))--University of Pretoria, 2023.The designation and regulation of systemically important banks is a recent subject of ongoing global research dedicated to analyse measures designed to address the “Too-Big-To-Fail” conundrum of systemically important financial institutions associated with systemic risk and moral hazard. This approach is incorporated in the Financial Stability Board SIFI Framework, which is well-recognised as part of financial stability reforms by the G-20 after the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. To implement the SIFI Framework in the context of banking regulation, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued the G-SIB Framework in 2011, updated it in 2013 and 2018, thereby establishing an assessment methodology for identification of banks that are systemically relevant at a global level and imposing an additional loss absorbency requirement. In 2012, the Basel Committee extended this Framework to a domestic financial system by issuing the Basel D-SIB Framework. An overhaul of legislative frameworks for the implementation of the Basel D-SIB Framework is in progress in G-20 jurisdictions. In South Africa, it was implemented in 2013 through the amendment of the Banks Act of 1990 and revised in 2019 to give effect to the relevant provisions of the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017. Accordingly, this research reviews the consistent implementation of the Basel D-SIB Framework assessment methodology and the Higher Loss Absorbency requirement, as well as other appropriate prudential requirements, within South Africa’s financial sector specificities. Insights are drawn from the United States and also from the Netherlands as an EU Member State. Recommendations are accordingly made for South Africa in view of the guidance taken from best international practices and standards. The research further interrogates the available legal remedies for challenging SIFI-bank designation and prudential regulation.Absa Chair in Banking Law in AfricaMercantile LawPhD (Banking Law)Unrestricte