Use of ontology in identifying missing artefact links

The techniques of requirement traceability have evolved over recent years. However, as much as they have contributed to the software engineering field, significant ambiguity remains in many software engineering processes. This paper reports on an investigation of requirement traceability artefacts, stakeholders, and SDLC development models. Data were collected to gather evidence of artefacts and their properties from previous studies. The aim was to find the missing link between artefacts and their relationship to one another, the stakeholders, and SDLC models. This paper undertakes the first phase of the main research project, which aims to develop a framework for guiding software developers to actively manage traceability. After inquiring into and examining previous research on this topic, the links between artefacts and their functions were identified. The analysis resulted in the development of a new model for requirement traceability, defined in the form of an ontology portraying the contributively relations between software artefacts using common properties with the aid of Protégé Software. This study thus provides an important insight into the future of the requirement artefacts relation, and thereby lays an important foundation towards increasing our understanding of their potential and limitations