Learning how to discover requirements

Requirements engineering (RE) is traditionally taught in academia using an RE process which starts from a well-defined problem. Our approach focuses on the early stages of requirements discovery where students have to learn both about the application domain and about what stakeholders feel is the problem. The approach comprises all the basic elements of requirements, and ways to discover them using many small discovery cycles. In this position paper we outline the rationale for our approach and reflect on our initial experiences with teaching undergraduate RE module using this approach

Model-based engineering in real-time embedded systems: specifying timing constraints

This paper presents the results from a research project on development of Real-Time Embedded Systems (RTESs) using a Model-Based Engineering (MBE) approach. A review of the state-of-the-art modelling languageswas done in order to assess their capabilities to model time. A chosen case study,a Brake-By-Wire (BBW) system, was taken from the automotive industry.The case study focuses on the use of EAST-ADL to model the RTES and TADL to specify timing constraints. A different approach using MARTE to model the BBW system was developed within our project. This approach is used to compare MARTE (and OCL) with EAST-ADL (and TADL). The results show that MARTE can be used to model an RTES from the automotive industry but lacks some important semantic expressions for the timing constraints which are present in TADL

Quality and it's Role in Growth of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Economy

Nowadays in an extremely competitive environment one of the most important issues is efficient management of total business processes which as a result should lead to achieving better financial and development goals and fulfilling customer’s wishes. Efficient management turns to be quality management which includes different methods and techniques. Achieving expected quality of the products and services, as well as total business processes in all aspects, is the only way of surviving in this competitive environment. Framework for the quality implementation in the company is postulates of the different quality concept, such as TQM, Kaizen or Six Sigma. ISO and other certificates are assurance of the product quality. On the other hand, it can be very effective means for entering foreign markets. Due to importance of mentioned concepts and importance of obtaining certificates, this paper is focused on the methodology of the quality management as well as on experiences from real sector and research results. Main aim of research is to determine practical assumptions for efficient quality management and its role in a growth of economy.total business processes, TQM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, ISO, growth of economy

Specifying timing requirements in domain specific languages for modeling

Complex Real-Time Embedded Systems (RTESs) can be developed using model-based engineering. The problem is choosing a modeling language that has capabilities to model the most important characteristic of RTESs: timing. This paper shows an analysis of the most popular modeling languages and their capabilities to model timing constraints in RTESs. It includes UML, SysML, AADL, MARTE and EAST-ADL. A brief comparison between MARTE and EAST-ADL, based on the case study from the automotive industry, is also included

Semantic component selection - SemaCS

In component based software development, project success or failure largely depends on correct software component evaluation. All available evaluation methods require time to analyse components. Due to the black box nature of components, preliminary judgments are made based on vendor descriptions. As there is no standard way of describing components, descriptions have to be interpreted using semantics and domain knowledge. This paper presents a semi-automated generic method for component identification and classification based on generic domain taxonomy and user generated semantic input. Every query is semantically tailored to what is being looked for, arriving at better results then it is currently possible using available automated categorisation systems

The Psychological Need for Safety at Work: A Cybernetic Perspective

Despite an increased understanding of the individual and contextual factors that influence both employee safety behavior and workplace safety incidents (e.g., injuries, accidents), there has been surprisingly little theoretical or empirical consideration of the individual employee's psychological experience of safety at work. Given that feeling safe is widely theorized to be a basic psychological need with implications for individual well-being and safety-related work behavior, the purpose of this dissertation was to use cybernetic theory-a conceptual framework that explains self-regulation through negative feedback processes-to explore both the antecedents and outcomes of individuals' perceived safety at work. Theory-based hypotheses were tested in a field sample of 595 production employees and their foremen at three weapons production sites in the southern United States. Results revealed that psychological safety climate and perceived job risk were both meaningful correlates of workers' perceived safety whereas personality variables (i.e., trait anxiety, safety locus of control) and personal safety knowledge were not meaningful correlates. Consistent with cybernetic theory, lower perceived safety was associated with increased safety-related anxiety. However, contrary to theoretical expectations, safety-related anxiety did not share consistent, positive associations with self- or foreman-rated safety behaviors. There was limited support, however, which suggested that safety-related anxiety is positively associated with self-reported safety participation behaviors. The implications of these findings in conjunction with a number of explorative analyses are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided