RationalGRL: A Framework for Argumentation and Goal Modeling

Goal-oriented requirements modeling approaches aim to capture the intentions of the stakeholders involved in the development of an information system as goals and tasks. The process of constructing such goal models usually involves discussions between a requirements engineer and a group of stakeholders. Not all the arguments in such discussions can be captured as goals or tasks: e.g., the discussion whether to accept or reject a certain goal and the rationale for acceptance or rejection cannot be captured in goal models. In this paper, we apply techniques from computational argumentation to a goal modeling approach by using a coding analysis in which stakeholders discuss requirements for a Traffic Simulator. We combine a simplified version of a traditional goal model, the Goal-oriented Requirements Language (GRL), with ideas from argumentation on schemes for practical reasoning into a new framework (RationalGRL). RationalGRL provides a formal semantics and tool support to capture the discussions and outcomes of the argumentation process that leads to a goal model. We also define the RationalGRL development process to create a RationalGRL model

Eliciting and Visualising Trust Expectations using Persona Trust Characteristics and Goal Models

Developers and users rely on trust to simplify complexity when building and using software. Unfortunately, the invisibility of trust and the richness of a system’s context of use means that factors influencing trust are difficult to see, and assessing its implications before a system is built is complex and time-consuming. This paper presents an approach for eliciting and visualising differences between trust expectations using persona cases, goal models, and complementary tool support. We evaluate our approach by using it to identify misplaced trust expectations in a software infrastructure by its users and application developers

Modelling the Strategic Alignment of Software Requirements using Goal Graphs

This paper builds on existing Goal Oriented Requirements Engineering (GORE) research by presenting a methodology with a supporting tool for analysing and demonstrating the alignment between software requirements and business objectives. Current GORE methodologies can be used to relate business goals to software goals through goal abstraction in goal graphs. However, we argue that unless the extent of goal-goal contribution is quantified with verifiable metrics and confidence levels, goal graphs are not sufficient for demonstrating the strategic alignment of software requirements. We introduce our methodology using an example software project from Rolls-Royce. We conclude that our methodology can improve requirements by making the relationships to business problems explicit, thereby disambiguating a requirement's underlying purpose and value.Comment: v2 minor updates: 1) bitmap images replaced with vector, 2) reworded related work ref[6] for clarit

Motivation-oriented scenario-based gamification design method using the user requirements notation modeling

Gamification, defined as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, has been a trending in both academic and in a variety of industrial domains for around half a decade. A number of empirical studies have showed the usefulness and effectiveness of applying gamification to enhance people's motivation and engagement in different activities. On the other hand, multiple design frameworks and methods have been proposed to guide the practice of gamification design and development. However, one of the key issues for gamification, which is being only focusing on using less essential game elements on motivating instead of providing genuinely meaningful gameful experiences, has not yet been addressed fully. Furthermore, the existing gamification design frameworks contribute limitedly in providing constructive and easily applicable design methods or tools that to facilitate the motivation and behavior analysis and ideation of gamification projects. Therefore, in this study, the author proposes the Motivation-oriented Scenario-based Gamification Design method in order to address the issues mentioned above. The method is an adaption of the User Requirement Notation to the modeling of system goals, gamification motivations, system user behaviors, existing gameplay, and the mapping between them. The new method aims to provide not only an innovative way of specifying gamification designs on the mechanic and dynamic levels, but also a possibly insightful perspective towards improving gamification experiences and effectiveness with meaningful plays. In addition, a case study is conducted by applying the proposed method to a real-life language learning system, WordDive, with the method validated and evaluated via an interview with an expert from the WordDive company

GOREWEB framework for goal oriented requirements engineering of web applications

In this paper, we propose a framework for modeling goal driven requirements of web applications. Web engineers mostly focus on design aspects only overlooking the real goals and expectations of the user. Goal oriented Requirement Engineering is a popular approach for Information system development but has not been explored much for Web applications. However, in today's times Web is dominating in every business making it imperative that its requirements are analyzed carefully and in profundity. Goal driven requirements analysis helps in capturing stakeholders' goals very finely, by choosing between alternatives and resolving conflicts. Detailed classification of both functional and non-functional requirements specific to web applications is discussed in the presented work. A framework, GOREWEB (Goal oriented Requirements Engineering for Web Applications) is proposed for analyzing goals and translating them into functional and non-functional web requirements

Formalising non-functional requirements embedded in user requirements notation (URN) models

The growing need for computer software in different sectors of activity, (health, agriculture, industries, education, aeronautic, science and telecommunication) together with the increasing reliance of the society as a whole on information technology, is placing a heavy and fast growing demand on complex and high quality software systems. In this regard, the anticipation has been on non-functional requirements (NFRs) engineering and formal methods. Despite their common objective, these techniques have in most cases evolved separately. NFRs engineering proceeds firstly, by deriving measures to evaluate the quality of the constructed software (product-oriented approach), and secondarily by improving the engineering process (process-oriented approach). With the ability to combine the analysis of both functional and non-functional requirements, Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering (GORE) approaches have become de facto leading requirements engineering methods. They propose through refinement/operationalisation, means to satisfy NFRs encoded in softgoals at an early phase of software development. On the other side, formal methods have kept, so far, their promise to eliminate errors in software artefacts to produce high quality software products and are therefore particularly solicited for safety and mission critical systems for which a single error may cause great loss including human life. This thesis introduces the concept of Complementary Non-functional action (CNF-action) to extend the analysis and development of NFRs beyond the traditional goals/softgoals analysis, based on refinement/operationalisation, and to propagate the influence of NFRs to other software construction phases. Mechanisms are also developed to integrate the formal technique Z/Object-Z into the standardised User Requirements Notation (URN) to formalise GRL models describing functional and non-functional requirements, to propagate CNF-actions of the formalised NFRs to UCMs maps, to facilitate URN construction process and the quality of URN models.School of ComputingD. Phil (Computer Science

Towards an Approach for Analysing the Strategic Alignment of Software Requirements using Quantified Goal Graphs

Analysing the strategic alignment of software requirements primarily provides assurance to stakeholders that the software-to-be will add value to the organisation. Additionally, such analysis can improve a requirement by disambiguating its purpose and value, thereby supporting validation and value-oriented decisions in requirements engineering processes, such as prioritisation, release planning, and trade-off analysis. We review current approaches that could enable such an analysis. We focus on Goal Oriented Requirements Engineering methodologies, since goal graphs are well suited for relating software goals to business goals. However, we argue that unless the extent of goal-goal contribution is quantified with verifiable metrics, goal graphs are not sufficient for demonstrating the strategic alignment of software requirements. Since the concept of goal contribution is predictive, what results is a forecast of the benefits of implementing software requirements. Thus, we explore how the description of the contribution relationship can be enriched with concepts such as uncertainty and confidence, non-linear causation, and utility. We introduce the approach using an example software project from Rolls-Royce.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1211.625