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Documenting Requirements in Natural Language (TEMPLATES (step-by-step…
Documenting Requirements in Natural Language
NATURAL LANGUAGE
Has
ADVANTAGES
does not require preparation time in order to be read and understood by stakeholders
can be used to describe any
circumstances.
DISADVANTAGES
can often be interpreted in multiple ways
Requirements are defined and read by people with different knowledge, different social backgrounds, and different experiences.
Could suffer
“transformational
effects”
nominalization
a (sometimes long-lasting) process is converted into a (singular) event. All information necessary to accurately describe the process is thereby lost.
“In case of a system crash, a restart of the system shall be performed.” The terms system crash and restart each describe a process that ought to be analyzed more precisely.
Nouns with missing reference
nouns are frequently incompletely specified
Example 5-2: Nouns without reference índices: The data shall be displayed to the user on the terminal..
What data exactly?
Which user exactly?
Which terminal exactly?
Universal Quantifiers
When using universal quantifiers, there is the risk that the specified behavior or property does not apply to all objects within the specified set.
Example 5-4: Universal quantifiers : The system shall show all data sets in every submenu.
Really in every submenu?
Really all data sets?
Incompletely Specified Conditions
Requirements that contain conditions specify the behavior that must occur when the condition is met. In addition, they must specify what behavior must occur if the condition is not met
Example 5-5: Incompletely specified condition: The restaurant system shall offer all beverages to a registered guest over the age of 20 years.
Which beverages shall be offered to a guest that is 20 years or younger?
Incompletely Specified Process Verbs
The verb transmit, for instance, requires at least three supplements to be considered complete:
what is being transmitted
, from where it is being transmitted,
to where it is being transmitted
can mostly be avoided or kept to a minimum if requirements are formulated using the active voice rather than the passive voice.
Example 5-7: Requirement using the passive voice: To log a user in, the login data is entered.
Example 5-8: Requirement using active voice The system must allow the user to enter his user name and password using the keyboard of the terminal
TEMPLATES
reduce language effects when documenting requirements
support the author in achieving high quality and syntactic unambiguousness in optimal time and at low costs.
IS A BLUEPRINT FOR THE SYNTACTIC STRUCTURE OF REQ
step-by-step
Step 1: Determine the Legal Obligation
distinguishes between legally obligatory requirements, urgently recommended requirements, future requirements, and desirable requirements.
shall
should
will
may
Step 2: The Requirement Core
This functionality is referred to as the
process. Processes are activities and may only be described using verbs
Step 3: Characterize the Activity of a System
Autonomous system activity
User interaction
a service for the
user.
Interface requirement
a process depending on a
third party
Step 4: Insert Objects
potentially missing objects and supplements of objects (adverbials) are identified and added
print is amended by the information of what is being printed and where it is printed
Step 5: Determine Logical and Temporal Conditions
functionalities are performed or provided only under certain logical or temporal constraints.