Quality-Based Software Reuse

Work in software reuse focuses on reusing artifacts. In this context, finding a reusable artifact is driven by a desired functionality. This paper proposes a change to this common view. We argue that it is possible and necessary to also look at reuse from a non-functional (quality) perspective. Combining ideas from reuse, from goal-oriented requirements, from aspect-oriented programming and quality management, we obtain a goal-driven process to enable the quality-based reusability

Reasoning About Alternative Requirements Options

This paper elaborates on some of the fundamental contributions made by John Mylopoulos in the area of Requirements Engineering. We specifically focus on the use of goal models and their soft goals for reasoning about alternative options arising in the requirements engineering process. A personal account of John’s qualitative reasoning technique for comparing alternatives is provided first. A quantitative but lightweight technique for evaluating alternative options is then presented. This technique builds on mechanisms introduced by the qualitative scheme while overcoming some problems raised by it. A meeting scheduling system is used as a running example to illustrate the main ideas

Requirements in the 21st Century: Current Practice and Emerging Trends

Requirements have remained one of the grand challenges in the design of software intensive systems. In this paper we review the main strands of requirements research over the past two decades and identify persistent and new challenges. Based on a field study that involved interviews of over 30 leading IT professionals involved in large and complex software design and implementation initiatives we review the current state-ofthe-art in design requirements management. We observe significant progress in the deployment of modeling methods, tools, risk-driven design, and user involvement. We note nine emerging themes and challenges in the requirement management arena: 1) business process focus, 2) systems transparency, 3) integration focus, 4) distributed requirements, 5) layered requirements, 6) criticality of information architectures, 7) increased deployment of COTS and software components, 8) design fluidity and 9) interdependent complexity. Several research challenges and new avenues for research are noted in the discovery, specification, and validation of requirements in light of these requirements features