Articles
Linking Requirement and Acceptance Tests
Acceptance tests and requirements are linked. You can’t have one without the other. The tests clarify and amplify the requirements. A test that fails shows that the system does not properly implement a requirement. A test that passes is a specification of how the system works.
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Value-Based Software Engineering
Value-based software engineering (VBSE) is an approach that take into account the fact that software has a major influence on most systems’ cost, schedule, and value. Software decisions are inextricably intertwined with system-level decisions. In this article, Barry Boehm discusses the basic principles of value-based software engineering and explains why value-neutral methods are insufficient as […]
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Formal Requirements Modeling Languages: RML Revisited
Requirements Modeling Language (RML) offers a notation for requirements modeling which combines object-orientation and organization, with an assertional sublanguage used to specify constraints and deductive rules. RML provides both an object-centered modeling framework and an ontology for requirements modeling.
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Customer Input For a Successful Product
Studies in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), User Centered Design (UCD) and User Experience Design (UED) have found that accurate and frequent customer input is essential for a successful software product. Knowing who your customers are, what their environment is like, and what their needs are gives you the information required to plan and design a […]
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The Business Analyst Role in Agile Software Development
As companies transition to Agile and Scrum to manage their software development projects, how does this affect the work of business analysts? Nancy Nee, VP Global Product Strategy at ESI International, shares her opinion on the role of business analysts in Agile software development projects and how this approach impacts the requirement gathering activity. She […]
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Asking Open-Ended Questions
Getting the important business needs out of the requirements gathering process should be the goal of every business analyst. In this article, Karl Wiegers discusses the benefits of asking open-ended questions during requirements specification. They are especially useful to discover exceptions to the normal process behaviour. You are then able to determine and describe how […]
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