Advance Software Engineering Paper Review Assignment 1 MSCS-17

Group: 1 Paper title:Requirements Engineering: A Roadmap

Authors:
Bashar Nuseibeh, Steve Easterbrook.

Submission date:October 11, 2010.

PART - I

Executive Summary
The paper at hand presents an overview of the field of Software System Requirements Engineering (RE) which is regarded as a multidisciplinary, human-centered process, and the most critical activity of software system, through which real world goals of the system are determined and precise specifications are documented. It discusses the core requirement engineering activities--namely: elicitation, modeling and analysis, communicating the requirements, agreeing upon requirements, and evolving requirements-- in detail. The paper presents current research activities in different areas of RE and it also carries out a survey of the RE research in 90s. At the end a roadmap for integrated RE process has been suggested and certain research issues have also been highlighted in RE for the upcoming decade.

Problem Statement
The paper identifies a problem about the ineffective requirements engineering approach towards delivered software systems which results in unfulfilled customers requirements, which ultimately affect the success of software projects. In short, the paper focuses on how to carry out software requirements engineering effectively, to ensure the success of software projects?

Solution Approach
The paper tries to develop a good understanding of RE field and its key areas in order to make the RE process easier to be followed. It further suggests to follow an integrated RE approach to manage multidisciplinary RE activities. Moreover, the paper suggests improvements in the field of RE and provides with an ample roadmap to the future research for an integrated RE process.

The paper presents a road map based on very comprehensive study and analysis of the related literature published in from 1990 till 2000. The suggested approach is likely to address the daunting challenges impeding this field of crucial importance. However, being based on literature published in 90s the research and approach may have been further refined. In addition, It would have been even better to discuss the RE core activities with the help of specific examples to enhance the understandability.

Evaluation Approach:

The paper presents an extensive review of the relevant research. Every new concept has been cited from references which total to 84 (articles, sites etc). The authors, most of the times, have presented their candid analysis of the referenced literature while citing in the paper. Moreover, they have supported their point of view by citing work from different authors which indicate carefulness and genuineness of the research.

Results:
RE is an important software process activity and the proper use of the techniques and models will ensure the success of the software projects. The results obtained are based on thorough analysis by authors and on voluminous relevant literature.

Quality of Related Work:

The paper presents a very comprehensive review of the related research. The subject has been aptly explained from basics till most advanced topics of the field. The paper contains 84 reference papers/sites for further study. The open research challenges in the field have been identified which can form basis for future research. The language used is mostly simple and each new concept has been appropriately explained. The sections are adequate linked to previous section thus maintaining continuity. However, in sections 4-8 of the paper were little hard to understand. These

sections may require deeper background knowledge. Some probable typos were also encountered in the paper.

Significance:

The paper provides an extensive introduction and review research of a very crucial field of software engineering. It covers the basics, advanced topics and open research challenges for the field. It can act as jump starter for a new comer and direct him to the most advanced level. Seen with respect to the course work, it is cent percent relevant.

PART II

Strengths

a. Simple presentation. b. Comprehensiveness. c. Well research, cites texts from numerous references. Readers can consult those for

clarity of concepts. d. Covers the basics and the most advanced topics both including open research challenges. The research is done thoroughly considering each aspect of requirements engineering. e. Requirements elicitation techniques discussed with their practical applications. f. General categories of RE modeling approaches are discussed along with examples.
g. Readers can be successfully convinced about the importance of this Requirements

Engineering.

Weaknesses

a. Based on relatively early research spanning from 1990 till 2000, techniques

presented might have already refined. b. The understanding of section 4-8 may require background knowledge. More detailed description would have facilitated the understanding. c. Few probable typos were encountered.
d. The integration approach of different activities is not discussed in detail.

Summery As Per Our Understanding:

RE is an extremely crucial field of software engineering which determines the real-world goals of a software system on which the success of the whole system is gauged. RE is multidisciplinary process that requires different skills for a practitioner. The RE field evolved in early 90s as an active research area. The RE process comprises of main activities, namely, Eliciting requirements, Modeling and analyzing requirements, Communicating requirements, Agreeing requirements, and Evolving requirements. To fulfill the needs of the stakeholders in order to build a successful software product, the traditional techniques used for RE have undergone significant evolution, but still need further advancement. The RE filed has still has a long way to go. The field deserves more emphases.

Terms / Areas not understood:

a. Contextual techniques, Goal-based methods and Scenario based methods (Section

4.2) require more detail.

b. RAD/JAD workshops (Section 4.2). c. Laddering, card sorting, property grid (Section 4.2) require more elaboration. d. Tractable reasoning over a closed world model of the system (Section 5.4). e. Section 5 not fully understood.

f. In Section 6, it is written: Kovitz suggests some heuristics for focusing on small details of writing requirements documentation, which can improve quality of the requirements documentations, regardless of the format in which requirements are expressed. We cant get an idea/detail of heuristics from this because authors have neither written any detail nor given any reference.

Final words about the paper:

The paper is comprehensive and can serve as quick starter for a new comer to the filed of RE. It has presented a thorough review of the current research in the filed of RE along with basics.