What If People Learn Requirements Over Time? A Rough Introduction to Requirements Economics

The overall objective of Requirements Engineering is to specify, in a systematic way, a system that satisfies the expectations of its stakeholders. Despite tremendous effort in the field, recent studies demonstrate this is objective is not always achieved. In this paper, we discuss one particularly challenging factor to Requirements Engineering projects, namely the change of requirements. We proposes a rough discussion of how learning and time explain requirements changes, how it can be introduced as a key variable in the formulation of the Requirements Engineering Problem, and how this induces costs for a requirements engineering project. This leads to a new discipline of requirements economics

Paraconsistency in hybrid logic

As in standard knowledge bases, hybrid knowledge bases (i.e. sets of information specified by hybrid formulas) may contain inconsistencies arising from different sources, namely from the many mechanisms used to collect relevant information. Being a fact, rather than a queer anomaly, inconsistency also needs to be addressed in the context of hybrid logic applications. This article introduces a paraconsistent version of hybrid logic which is able to accommodate inconsistencies at local points without implying global failure. A main feature of the resulting logic, crucial to our approach, is the fact that every hybrid formula has an equivalent formula in negation normal form. The article also provides a measure to quantify the inconsistency of a hybrid knowledge base, useful as a possible basis for comparing knowledge bases. Finally, the concepts of extrinsic and intrinsic inconsistency of a theory are discussed

Paraconsistência em lógica híbrida

Mestrado em Matemática e AplicaçõesThe use of hybrid logics allows the description of relational structures, at the same time that allows establishing accessibility relations between states and, furthermore, nominating and making mention to what happens at speci c states. However, the information we collect is subject to inconsistencies, namely, the search for di erent information sources can lead us to pick up contradictions. Nowadays, by having so many means of dissemination available, that happens frequently. The aim of this work is to develop tools capable of dealing with contradictory information that can be described as hybrid logics' formulas. To build models, to compare inconsistency in di erent databases, and to see the applicability of this method in day-to-day life are the basis for the development of this dissertation.O uso de lógicas híbridas permite a descrição de estruturas relacionais, ao mesmo tempo que permite estabelecer relações de acessibilidade entre estados, e, para além disso, nomear e fazer referência ao que acontece em estados específicos. No entanto, a informação que recolhemos está sujeita a inconsistências, isto é, a procura de diferentes fontes de informação pode levar a recolha de contradições. O que nos dias de hoje, com tantos meios de divulgação disponíveis, acontece frequentemente. O objetivo deste trabalho e desenvolver ferramentas capazes de lidar com informação contraditória que possa ser descrita através de fórmulas de lógicas híbridas. Construir modelos e comparar a inconsistência de diferentes bases de dados e ver a aplicabilidade deste método no dia-a-dia são a base para o desenvolvimento desta dissertação

Analyzing Functionalities for Online Questionnaire System (OQS)

In these days, and after the rapid development of information systems make the researchers are looking an easy and automate way to analysis a data collection in a questionnaire that enables researchers to obtain the results quickly instead of using manual way. Questionnaires are used in a wide range of settings to gather information about the views and behavior of individuals to inform people about the specific issues. Feedbacks of the questionnaires are used by the researcher to find an accurate result with supporting of statistical analysis functionalities. In addition, there is a strong relationship between questionnaire and research, which is questionnaire the most important phase in research activities. Consequently, this project focuses on the development of the questionnaire system by focusing on the 'built-in' statistical analysis functionalities to facilitate and support the researcher’s tasks. The Online Questionnaire System is developed in order to reduce loss of papers, time and effort. The general design methodology is represented by using Unify model language (UML). Moreover, the system has been tested based on usability and flexibility and evaluated by using questionnaires that answered by the students. A percentage of 55.2% percent and 44.8% percent answered useful and very useful respectively of the proposed model. As a conclusion it is found the respondents agree with use statistical analysis functions in Online Questionnaire website

Exploring the Relations Between Net Benefits of IT Projects and CIOs’ Perception of Quality of Software Development Disciplines

Software development enterprises are under consistent pressure to improve their management techniques and development processes. These are comprised of several software development methodology (SDM) disciplines such as requirements acquisition, design, coding, testing, etc. that must be continuously improved and individually tailored to suit specific software development projects. The paper proposes a methodology that enables the identification of SDM discipline quality categories and the evaluation of SDM disciplines’ net benefits. It advances the evaluation of software process quality from single quality category evaluation to multiple quality categories evaluation as proposed by the Kano model. An exploratory study was conducted to test the proposed methodology. The exploratory study results show that different types of Kano quality are present in individual SDM disciplines and that applications of individual SDM disciplines vary considerably in their relation to net benefits of IT projects. Consequently, software process quality evaluation models should start evaluating multiple categories of quality instead of just one and should not assume that the application of every individual SDM discipline has the same effect on the enterprise’s net benefits

Requirements Problem and Solution Concepts for Adaptive Systems Engineering, and their Relationship to Mathematical Optimisation, Decision Analysis, and Expected Utility Theory

Requirements Engineering (RE) focuses on eliciting, modelling, and analyzing the requirements and environment of a system-to-be in order to design its specification. The design of the specification, usually called the Requirements Problem (RP), is a complex problem solving task, as it involves, for each new system-to-be, the discovery and exploration of, and decision making in, new and ill-defined problem and solution spaces. The default RP in RE is to design a specification of the system-to-be which (i) is consistent with given requirements and conditions of its environment, and (ii) together with environment conditions satisfies requirements. This paper (i) shows that the Requirements Problem for Adaptive Systems (RPAS) is different from, and is not a subclass of the default RP, (ii) gives a formal definition of RPAS, and (iii) discusses implications for future research