CS 8113h: Requirements Analysis and Prototyping

Objectives

You have the choice in your objectives for this class of either emphasizing professional skills or research activities. Doing requirements analysis well is one of the critical success factors for software projects, and a very useful career skill. Requirements engineering is also currently an active research field. Some class activities will be common to the two strands and class sessions will mainly emphasize these.

Topics

1. The analytical and formal approach to requirements determination, specification and analysis (First half of term).

Software system procurement models. Organizational roles of "customers", "users", etc. and customer-oriented specification of requirements. Consequences of poorly understood requirements.

Identifying system goals. Refining goals and determining the boundary of automation. Elaborating requirements to accommodate obstacles, exceptions, errors, etc.

Scenario analysis and walkthroughs.

Functional specification of software.

2. The contextual and naturalistic approach to understanding user behavior and product needs (Second half of term).

Assumptions behind modeling organizational & other processes during requirements analysis.

Contextual inquiry techniques. Interviewing and observation.

Contextual models of current use behavior.

Design of proposed product features.

3. Combining the two approaches (Third half of term).

Administrative Details

Instructor

• Colin Potts (CoC Room 257. Tel. 894-5551).

Class Place & Time.

• Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:30-6:00pm. CoC 52

Schedule

 Detailed schedule for class periods and assignments.

Resources

• Online methodology guide for part 1: ScenIC Guidebook.
• Copies of requirements engineering research papers
• My library of RE books (to be checked out from Gwen Baker, [CoC 264] Mon/Tue and Thu/Fri 9-5).
• Text for part 2: Contextual Design, by Beyer and Holzblatt (Morgan-Kaufman). (It's in the bookstore as of Oct. 8.).