Subject: Software Engineering

Topic: Engineering and Modeling Process

Difficulty: High

Developers and stakeholders meet, the latter are inquired concerning their needs and wants regarding the software product.

Requirements analysis and negotiation - Requirements are identified (including new ones if the development is iterative) and conflicts with stakeholders are solved. Both written and graphical tools (the latter commonly used in the design phase but some find them helpful at this stage, too) are successfully used as aids. Examples of written analysis tools: use cases and user stories.

System modeling - Some Engineering fields (or specific situations) require the product to be completely designed and modeled before its construction or fabrication starts and, therefore, the design phase must be performed in advance. Note: In many fields, such as Software Engineering, most modeling activities are classified as design activities and not as requirement engineering activities.

Requirements specification - Requirements are documented in a formal artifact called Requirements Specification (RS). Nevertheless, it will become official only after validation. A RS can contain both written and graphical (models) information if necessary.

Requirements validation - Checking that the documented requirements and models are consistent and meet the needs of the stakeholder. Only if the final draft passes the validation process, the RS becomes official.

Requirements management - Managing all the activities related to the requirements since inception, supervising as the system is developed and, even until after it is put into use (e. g., changes, extentions, etc.)