Using contextual goal models for constructing situational methods

Situation and intention are two fundamental notions in situational method engineering (SME). They are used to assess the context of an ISD project and to specify method requirements in this context. They also allow defining the goals of the method chunks and the conditions under which they can be applied. In this way, the selection and assembly of method chunks for a particular ISD project is driven by matching situational method requirements to method chunks’ goals and context descriptions. In this paper we propose the use of contextual goal models for supporting all SME steps. Our approach is based on iStar2.0 modeling language that we extend with contextual annotations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Reusing Scenario Based Approaches in Requirement Engineering Methods: CREWS Method Base

National audienceIn the CREWS project four different scenario-based approaches have been developed with the aim of supporting system requirements acquisition and validation in a systematic way. Two approaches deal with the requirements acquisition from real world scenes [Haumer 98] and from natural language scenario descriptions [Rolland 97], [Rolland 98a]. Two other approaches deal with the requirements validation through systematic scenario generation coupled to scenario walkthrough [Sutcliffe 98] and scenario animation [Dubois 98]. The project hypothesis is that each of the approaches might be useful in specific project situations which are not well tackled by existing analysis methods and therefore, that it is worth looking for the integration of such approaches in current methods. This shall lead to an enhancement of the existing methods with scenario-based techniques. Moreover, in the CREWS project we have proposed a framework for classifying scenarios [Rolland 98b] as a way to explore the issues underlying scenario based approaches in Requirements Engineering (RE). The application of this framework on several scenario based approaches proven the existence of the variety of products and practices of scenarios. We situate our work in the situational method engineering domain. The situational method engineering discipline aims at defining information systems development methods by reusing and assembling different existing method fragments. This approach allows to construct modular methods which can be modified and augmented to meet the requirements of a given situation. Following this approach, a method is viewed as a collection of method fragments [Rolland 96], [Harmsen 94], [Harmsen 97]. New methods can be constructed by selecting fragments from different methods which are the more appropriate to a given situation [Brinkkemper 98], [Plihon 98]. Thus, method fragments are the basic building blocks which allow to define methods in a modular way. In our work we are interested in specific method fragments, namely scenario based approaches, that we call scenario method chunks. The objective of our work is to develop an approach for integrating different kinds of scenarios as method components into usual RE methods. To achieve this goal we propose to represent the scenario based approaches in a method base as method components called scenario method chunks. We need also to define the approach for retrieving relevant scenario method chunk for the situation at hand. Finally, we need to define the approach supporting the integration of the retrieved component with the existing RE method or with another method component

The use of iStar in situational method engineering: an ongoing study

Context: Situational Method Engineering (SME) is the discipline that aims at the systematic definition of methods adapted to specific contexts of use (situations). The use of goal-oriented methods for supporting SME is an active research line where the iStar 2.0 language is applied. Objective: We plan to conduct an experiment to investigate some designated pragmatic qualities, namely the perceived usefulness, ease of use and accuracy of iStar 2.0 when used in the SME context. Method:This paper presents our current work on designing an empirical study for the use of iStar 2.0 in SME. Next steps: We plan to refine our current study and run pilots until our measurement tools and sample population are ready for experimental execution.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Interview with Anne Persson on “The Practice of Enterprise Modeling”

We conducted the interview iteratively via email correspondence over the summer of 2017. Anne had been the general chair of PoEM 2017 in Skövde 2016 and, given her history with PoEM, we thus were very keen to learn about her views on enterprise modeling

Information Systems Evolution: A Process Model for Integrating New Services

Integration of different components that compose enterprise Information System (IS) represents a big challenge in the IS development. However, it is indispensable in order to avoid fragmentation of the IS and redundancy between different IS applications. In this work we consider service-driven IS engineering as a prospective approach to deal with IS fragmentation and interoperability of different IS components. We introduce the notion of Information System Service (ISS) and propose a process model supporting legacy IS evolution by integration of new services. We claim that such an approach has to take into account a large number of integration situations and therefore has to be built by applying situational method engineering principals and defined as a collection of reusable method chunks

The use of iStar in Situational Method Engineering : an ongoing study

Context. Situational Method Engineering (SME) is the discipline that aims at the systematic definition of methods adapted to specific contexts of use (situations). The use of goal-oriented methods for supporting SME is an active research line where the iStar 2.0 language is applied. Objective. We plan to conduct an experiment to investigate some designated pragmatic qualities, namely the perceived usefulness, ease of use and accuracy of iStar 2.0 when used in the SME context. Method. This paper presents our current work on designing an empirical study for the use of iStar 2.0 in SME. Next steps. We plan to refine our current study and run pilots until our measurement tools and sample population are ready for experimental execution

Data-driven agile requirements elicitation through the lenses of situational method engineering

Ubiquitous digitalization has led to the continuous generation of large amounts of digital data, both in organizations and in society at large. In the requirements engineering community, there has been a growing interest in considering digital data as new sources for requirements elicitation, in addition to stake-holders. The volume, dynamics, and variety of data makes iterative requirements elicitation increasingly continuous, but also unstructured and complex, which current agile methods are unable to consider and manage in a systematic and efficient manner. There is also the need to support software evolution by enabling a synergy of stakeholder-driven requirements elicitation and management with data-driven approaches. In this study, we propose extension of agile requirements elicitation by applying situational method engineering. The research is grounded on two studies in the business domains of video games and online banking.The work presented in this paper is partially funded by the DOGO4ML Spanish research project, PID2020-117191RB-I00.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Agile quality requirements management best practices portfolio : a situational method engineering approach

Management of Quality Requirements (QRs) is determinant for the success of software projects. However, this management is currently under-considered in software projects and in particular, in agile methods. Although agile processes are focused on the functional aspects of the software, some agile practices can be beneficial for the management of QRs. For example, the collaboration and interaction of people can help in the QR elicitation by reducing vagueness of requirements through communication. In this paper, we present the initial findings of our research investigating what industrial practices, from the agile methods, can be used for better management of QRs in agile software development. We use Situational Method Engineering to identify, complement and classify a portfolio of best practices for QR management in agile environments. In this regard, we present the methodological approach that we are applying for the definition of these guidelines and the requirements that will lead us to compile a portfolio of agile QR management best practices. The proposed requirements correspond to the whole software life cycle starting in the elicitation and finalizing in the deployment phases.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft