Page 228 - Software and Systems Requirements Engineering in Practice

ç ç 3 O F T W A R E ç ç 3 Y S T E M S ç 2 E Q U I R E M E N T S ç % N G I N E E R I N G ç ) N ç 0 R A C T I C E

HRIS WAS ASSIGNED AS A REQUIREMENTS ENGINEER ON A PROJECT THAT
WAS MUCH LARGER THAN THE LAST PROJECT HE HAD WORKED ON /N
#THE SMALLER PROJECT THE PRODUCT MANAGER HAD MAINTAINED A
SPREADSHEET LISTING ALL THE FEATURES AND THEIR STATUS &OR THIS NEW
PROJECT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF FEATURES THAT WERE KEPT IN A
REQUIREMENTS DATABASE #HRIS BEGAN TO BE CONCERNED HOW HE WOULD
UNDERSTAND A SYSTEM WITH SO MUCH FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXITY AND HOW HE
WOULD TRACK THE STATUS OF ALL THE FEATURES THAT WERE ASSIGNED TO HIM
4HIS CHAPTER INTRODUCES AND EXPLAINS SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT ARE USED ON LARGE PROJECTS 2EQUIREMENTS
ENGINEERING IS A CONTINUOUS ACTIVITY ACROSS THE ENTIRE PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE AND IT MUST BE MANAGED ACCORDINGLY 4HIS
INCLUDES PRACTICES FOR TRACEABILITY MEASUREMENT CHANGE MANAGEMENT
QUALITY AND SCALABILITY

"ACKGROUND
!S DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS GROW IN COMPLEXITY AND NEW PRODUCTS ARE
RELEASED TO THE MARKET WITH MANY FEATURES THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD
PRACTICES IN REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT GROWS 2EQUIREMENTS MUST BE
IDENTIFIED DOCUMENTED AND ANALYZED AND THE VARIOUS DOWNSTREAM
DEVELOPMENT ARTIFACTS MUST BE TRACED BACK TO THE REQUIREMENTS AND
ORIGINAL BUSINESS GOALS
4HE PURPOSE OF REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT IS TO MANAGE ALL OF A
PROJECT S OR PRODUCT S REQUIREMENTS POST ELICITATION AND TO IDENTIFY
INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN THOSE REQUIREMENTS AND A PROJECT S PLANS OR
WORK PRODUCTS ;#HRISSIS ET AL =
7E DISCUSSED IN #HAPTER THE USE OF REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING
ARTIFACT MODELS AS AN AID IN DEFINING TOOL INTEGRATION AND USAGE 4HE
2% PROCESSES MOST IMPACTED BY SUCH PLANNING ARE THOSE ASSOCIATED
WITH REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT 2EQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT 2-
ENCOMPASSES SEVERAL MAJOR ACTIVITIES AND SOME LESSER ONES
&URTHERMORE THERE IS SIGNIFICANT OVERLAP BETWEEN SOME PROJECT
MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS TRACKING AND OVERSIGHT AND
REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF
TRANSPARENCY INTO THE VARIOUS REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING TASKS
2EQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT MAKES REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING POSSIBLE
FOR LARGE PROJECTS AND HELPS REDUCE PROJECT CHAOS 4HE REMAINDER OF
THIS CHAPTER IS ORGANIZED AS FOLLOWS FIRST SOME OF THE IMPORTANT
REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ARE DESCRIBED THEN SOME OF THE
ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE DISCUSSED 4IPS FOR
REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT ARE ALSO PROVIDED