What is requirements definition and management

By Katlego Raboshakga

Requirements definition and management are subsets of software engineering as it is practiced in the context of the development of a software system which aims to fulfil the needs of the stakeholders. It is a very intensive human interaction process and therefore needs to take into account the way the stakeholders perceive their surroundings, their work and how they interact within the workplace.

Requirements definition and management borrows some of its techniques and practices from the social sciences. It takes into account aspects such as cognitive psychology, anthropology, sociology and linguistics. These all aim to explain the human behaviour. It is extremely important to take these factors into account as the dynamics of the stakeholder team often vary extensively. Understanding human behaviour and characteristics gives the analyst the fundamental tools to perform requirements management optimally.

According to Nuseibeh and Easterbrook, requirements elicitation is often regarded as the first step in requirements management. Several techniques such as workshops, prototyping, brainstorming and interviewing are applied in combination to enable optimal requirements elicitation. Once these requirements are obtained and understood commitment has to be obtained from the stakeholder and these requirements have to be sufficiently documented. Other subsequent activities in requirements management include, but are not limited to, managing requirements changes, maintaining traceability of requirements and identifying inconsistencies between the deliverables and the requirements.

The human interaction aspect involved in requirements management forms the cornerstone of all system development projects. Although the end result of a system development project is usually a computerized system, its primary function is to address the needs of the stakeholders. A computerized system that does not address the stakeholder needs is a complete failure. Ultimately the success or failure of a system will be determined by whether the stakeholders perceive it to meet their requirements or not.

References

Nuseibeh B., And Easterbrook S, Requirements Engineering: A Roadmap, Available from http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~sme/papers/2000/ICSE2000.pdf, (Accessed 19 August 2009)

CMMI for Development version 1.2, Improving processes for better products, Available from http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/documents/06.reports/06tr008.html, (Accessed 19 August 2009)

Avison D. And Fitzgerald G. (2006), Information Systems Development, Methodologies, Techniques and Tools 4^th Edition, McGraw-Hill