05 Fakultät Informatik, Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/handle/11682/6
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Item Open Access Towards building knowledge on causes of critical requirements engineering problems(2015) Kalinowski, Marcos; Spínola, Rodrigo Oliveira; Conte, Tayana; Prikladnicki, Rafael; Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, Stefan[Context] Many software projects fail due to problems in requirements engineering (RE). [Objective] The goal of this paper is to gather information on relevant RE problems and to represent knowledge on their most common causes. [Method] We replicated a global family of RE surveys in the Brazil and used the data to identify critical RE problems and to build probabilistic cause-effect diagrams to represent knowledge on their common causes. [Results] The survey was answered by 74 different organizations, including small, medium and very large sized companies, conducting both, plan-driven and agile development. The most critical RE problems, according to those organizations, are related to communication and to incomplete or underspecified requirements. We provide the full probabilistic cause-effect diagrams with knowledge on common causes of the most critical identified RE problems online. [Conclusion] We believe that the knowledge presented in the diagrams can be helpful to support organizations in conducting causal analysis sessions by providing an initial understanding on what usually causes critical RE problems.Item Open Access Field study on requirements engineering: investigation of artefacts, project parameters, and execution strategies(2012) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, Stefan; Lochmann, Klaus; Baumann, Andrea; Carne, Holger deContext Requirements Engineering (RE) is a critical discipline mostly driven by uncertainty, since it is influenced by the customer domain or by the development process model used. Volatile project environments restrict the choice of methods and the decision about which artefacts to produce in RE. Objective We aim to investigate RE processes in successful project environments to discover characteristics and strategies that allow us to elaborate RE tailoring approaches in the future. Method We perform a field study on a set of projects at one company. First, we investigate by content analysis which RE artefacts were produced in each project and to what extent they were produced. Second, we perform qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews to discover project parameters that relate to the produced artefacts. Third, we use cluster analysis to infer artefact patterns and probable RE execution strategies, which are the responses to specific project parameters. Fourth, we investigate by statistical tests the effort spent in each strategy in relation to the effort spent in change requests to evaluate the efficiency of execution strategies. Results We identified three artefact patterns and corresponding execution strategies. Each strategy covers different project parameters that impact the creation of certain artefacts. The effort analysis shows that the strategies have no significant differences in their effort and efficiency. Conclusions In contrast to our initial assumption that an increased effort in requirements engineering lowers the probability of change requests or project failures in general, our results show no statistically significant difference between the efficiency of the strategies. In addition, it turned out that many parameters considered as the main causes for project failures can be successfully handled. Hence, practitioners can apply the artefact patterns and related project parameters to tailor the RE process according to individual project characteristics.Item Open Access Where do we stand in requirements engineering improvement today? : first results from a mapping study(2014) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Ognawala, Saahil; Wagner, Stefan; Daneva, MayaRequirements engineering process improvement (REPI) approaches have gained much attention in research and practice. So far, however, there is no comprehensive view on the research in REPI in terms of solutions and current state of reported evidence. This paper aims to provide an overview on the existing solutions, their underlying principles and their research type facets, i.e. their state of empirical evidence. To this end, we conducted a systematic mapping study of the REPI publication space. This paper reports on the first findings regarding research type facets of the contributions as well as selected methodological principles. We found a strong focus in the existing research on solution proposals for REPI approaches that concentrate on normative assessments and benchmarks of the RE activities rather than on holistic RE improvements according to individual goals of companies. We conclude, so far, that there is a need to broaden the work and to investigate more problem-driven REPI which also targets the improvement of the quality of the underlying RE artefacts.Item Open Access Naming the pain in requirements engineering: a design for a global family of surveys and first results from Germany(2015) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, StefanContext: For many years, we have observed industry struggling in defining a high quality requirements engineering (RE) and researchers trying to understand industrial expectations and problems. Although we are investigating the discipline with a plethora of empirical studies, they still do not allow for empirical generalisations. Objective: To lay an empirical and externally valid foundation about the state of the practice in RE, we aim at a series of open and reproducible surveys that allow us to steer future research in a problem-driven manner. Method: We designed a globally distributed family of surveys in joint collaborations with different researchers and completed the first run in Germany. The instrument is based on a theory in the form of a set of hypotheses inferred from our experiences and available studies. We test each hypothesis in our theory and identify further candidates to extend the theory by correlation and Grounded Theory analysis. Results: In this article, we report on the design of the family of surveys, its underlying theory, and the full results obtained from Germany with participants from 58 companies. The results reveal, for example, a tendency to improve RE via internally defined qualitative methods rather than relying on normative approaches like CMMI. We also discovered various RE problems that are statistically significant in practice. For instance, we could corroborate communication flaws or moving targets as problems in practice. Our results are not yet fully representative but already give first insights into current practices and problems in RE, and they allow us to draw lessons learnt for future replications. Conclusion: Our results obtained from this first run in Germany make us confident that the survey design and instrument are well-suited to be replicated and, thereby, to create a generalisable empirical basis of RE in practice.Item Open Access Naming the pain in requirements engineering: design of a global family of surveys and first results from Germany(2013) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, StefanContext: For many years, we have observed industry struggling in defining a high quality requirements engineering (RE) and researchers trying to understand industrial expectations and problems. Although we are investigating the discipline with a plethora of empirical studies, those studies either concentrate on validating specific methods or on single companies or countries. Therefore, they allow only for limited empirical generalisations. Objective: To lay an empirical and generalisable foundation about the state of the practice in RE, we aim at a series of open and reproducible surveys that allow us to steer future research in a problem-driven manner. Method: We designed a globally distributed family of surveys in joint collaborations with different researchers from different countries. The instrument is based on an initial theory inferred from available studies. As a long-term goal, the survey will be regularly replicated to manifest a clear understanding on the status quo and practical needs in RE. In this paper, we present the design of the family of surveys and first results of its start in Germany. Results: Our first results contain responses from 30 German companies. The results are not yet generalisable, but already indicate several trends and problems. For instance, a commonly stated problem respondents see in their company standards are artefacts being underrepresented, and important problems they experience in their projects are incomplete and inconsistent requirements. Conclusion: The results suggest that the survey design and instrument are well-suited to be replicated and, thereby, to create a generalisable empirical basis of RE in practice.Item Open Access Fast feedback cycles in empirical software engineering research(2015) Vetrò, Antonio; Ognawala, Saahil; Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, StefanBackground/Context: Gathering empirical knowledge is a time consuming task and the results from empirical studies often are soon outdated by new technological solutions. As a result, the impact of empirical results on software engineering practice is often not guaranteed. Objective/Aim: In this paper, we summarize the ongoing discussion on "Empirical Software Engineering 2.0" as a way to improve the impact of empirical results on industrial practices. We propose a way to combine data mining and analysis with domain knowledge to enable fast feedback cycles in empirical software engineering research. Method: We identify the key concepts on gathering fast feedback in empirical software engineering by following an experience-based line of reasoning by argument. Based on the identified key concepts, we design and execute a small proof of concept with a company to demonstrate potential benefits of the approach. Results: In our example, we observed that a simple double feedback mechanism notably increased the precision of the data analysis and improved the quality of the knowledge gathered. Conclusion: Our results serve as a basis to foster discussion and collaboration within the research community for a development of the idea.Item Open Access A case study on artefact-based RE improvement in practice(2015) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, StefanBackground: Most requirements engineering (RE) process improvement approaches are solution-driven and activity-based. They focus on the assessment of the RE of a company against an external norm of best practices. A consequence is that practitioners often have to rely on an improvement approach that skips a profound problem analysis and that results in an RE approach that might be alien to the organisational needs. Objective: In recent years, we have developed an RE improvement approach (called ArtREPI ) that guides a holistic RE improvement against individual goals of a company putting primary attention to the quality of the artefacts. In this paper, we aim at exploring ArtREPI’s benefits and limitations. Method: We contribute an industrial evaluation of ArtREPI by relying on a case study research. Results: Our results suggest that ArtREPI is well-suited for the establishment of an RE that reflects a specific organisational culture but to some extent at the cost of efficiency resulting from intensive discussions on a terminology that suits all involved stakeholders. Conclusions: Our results reveal first benefits and limitations, but we can also conclude the need of longitudinal and independent investigations for which we herewith lay the foundation.Item Open Access Preventing incomplete/hidden requirements: reflections on survey data from Austria and Brazil(2015) Kalinowski, Marcos; Felderer, Michael; Conte, Tayana; Spinola, Rodrigo; Prikladnicki, Rafael; Winkler, Dietmar; Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, Stefan[Context] Many software projects fail due to problems in requirements engineering (RE). [Goal] The goal of this paper is analyzing a specific and relevant RE problem in detail: incomplete/hidden requirements. [Method] We replicated a global family of RE surveys with representatives of software organizations in Austria and Brazil. We used the data to (a) characterize the criticality of the selected RE problem, and to (b) analyze the reported main causes and mitigation actions. Based on the analysis, we discuss how to prevent the problem. [Results] The survey includes 14 different organizations in Austria and 74 in Brazil, including small, medium and large sized companies, conducting both, plan-driven and agile development processes. Respondents from both countries cited the incomplete/hidden requirements problem as one of the most critical RE problems. We identified and graphically represented the main causes and documented solution options to address these causes. Further, we compiled a list of reported mitigation actions. [Conclusions] From a practical point of view, this paper provides further insights into common causes of incomplete/hidden requirements and on how to prevent this problem.Item Open Access Naming the pain in requirements engineering : contemporary problems, causes, and effects in practice(2016) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, Stefan; Kalinowski, Marcos; Felderer, Michael; Mafra, Priscilla; Vetrò, Antonio; Conte, Tayana; Christiansson, Marie-Therese; Greer, Desmond; Lassenius, Casper; Männistö, Tomi; Nayabi, Maleknaz; Oivo, Markku; Penzenstadler, Birgit; Pfahl, Dietmar; Prikladnicki, Rafael; Ruhe, Günther; Schekelmann, André; Sen, Sagar; Spinola, Rodrigo; Tuzcu, Ahmet; Vara, Jose Luis de la; Wieringa, RoelRequirements Engineering (RE) has received much attention in research and practice due to its importance to software project success. Its interdisciplinary nature, the dependency to the customer, and its inherent uncertainty still render the discipline di cult to investigate. This results in a lack of empirical data. These are necessary, however, to demonstrate which practically relevant RE problems exist and to what extent they matter. Motivated by this situation, we initiated the Naming the Pain in Requirements Engineering (NaPiRE) initiative which constitutes a globally distributed, bi-yearly replicated family of surveys on the status quo and problems in practical RE. In this article, we report on the qualitative analysis of data obtained from 228 companies working in 10 countries in various domains and we reveal which contemporary problems practitioners encounter. To this end, we analyse 21 problems derived from the literature with respect to their relevance and criticality in dependency to their context, and we complement this picture with a cause-effect analysis showing the causes and effects surrounding the most critical problems. Our results give us a better understanding of which problems exist and how they manifest themselves in practical environments. Thus, we provide a first step to ground contributions to RE on empirical observations which, until now, were dominated by conventional wisdom only.Item Open Access Naming the pain in requirements engineering: comparing practices in Brazil and Germany(2015) Méndez Fernández, Daniel; Wagner, Stefan; Kalinowski, Marcos; Schekelmann, André; Tuzcu, Ahmet; Conte, Tayana; Spinola, Rodrigo; Prikladnicki, RafaelAs part of the Naming the Pain in Requirements Engineering (NaPiRE) initiative, researchers compared problems that companies in Brazil and Germany encountered during requirements engineering (RE). The key takeaway was that in RE, human interaction is necessary for eliciting and specifying high-quality requirements, regardless of country, project type, or company size.