Tools and Methods for the Requirement Process

 

Version Control Tools:

Version Control software which organizes, manages and protects software assets across distributed software development teams are:

q      Serena®  ChangeMan® (formerly PVCS): Popular issue, version, and build management suite offers workflow support and enforcement and audit trail support to achieve an organization's compliance requirements

(http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/previous/ssafe/)

q      Microsoft®  SourceSafe®: Project-oriented features increase the efficiency of managing day-to-day tasks associated with team-based software and Web content development.

(http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/previous/ssafe/)

q      IBM® Rational® ClearQuest®: automates and enforces development processes for better insight, predictability and control of the software lifecycle.

(http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearquest/)

Change Management Tools:

Change Management tools which process, change tracking and defect management software solutions.

q      BMC® Remedy® Change Management: delivers comprehensive policy, process management, and planning capabilities that help increase the speed and consistency in which to implement changes, while also minimizing business risk and disruption

(http://www.bmc.com/products/proddocview/0,2832,19052_19429_22743830_121305,00.html)

q      Serena® TeamTrack®: is a Web-architected, secure and highly configurable process & issue management solution that provides controls, insight and predictability in an application lifecycle and IT process management throughout the enterprise.

(http://www.knowledgestorm.com/sol_summary_26112.asp)

q      IBM® Rational® ClearQuest®: a powerful and highly flexible defect and change tracking system that captures and manages all types of change requests throughout the development lifecycle

(http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearquest/)


 

Methodologies for Gathering Requirements

 

QFD (Quality Function Deployment): QFD is used to translate customer requirements to engineering specifications.

(http://thequalityportal.com/q_know01.htm)

How does QFD differ from other quality initiatives?

q      QFD is quite different in that it seeks out both "spoken" and "unspoken" customer requirements and maximizes "positive" quality (such as ease of use, fun, luxury) that creates value. Traditional quality systems aim at minimizing negative quality (such as defects, poor service). With those systems, the best you can get is zero defects - which we see is not enough when all the (vendors) or developers are good - or in products that fail to succeed despite being defect-free.

What are the characteristics of QFD as a quality system?

q      QFD is a quality system that implements elements of Systems Thinking (viewing the development process as a system) and Psychology (understanding customer needs, what 'value' is, and how customers or end users become interested, choose, and are satisfied, etc.).

q      QFD is a quality method of good Knowledge or Epistemology (how do we know the needs of the customer? how do we decide what features to include? and to what level of performance?)

q      QFD is a quality system for strategic competitiveness; it maximizes positive quality that adds value; it seeks out spoken and unspoken customer requirements, translates them into technical requirements, prioritizes them and directs us to optimize those features that will bring the greatest competitive advantage.

q      QFD is the only comprehensive quality system aimed specifically at satisfying the customer throughout the development and business process -- end to end.


 

WinWin: a negotiation tool using a UNIX workstation-based groupware support system that allows stakeholders to enter win conditions, explore their interactions, and negotiate mutual agreements on the specifics of the new project being contracted

(http://sunset.usc.edu/research/WINWIN/winwin_main.html)

q      WINWIN was developed by the Center for Software Engineering at the University of Southern California with support from the Department of Defense and the Aerospace Industry.

q      The WINWIN negotiation model: The particular WINWIN system we have evolved is based on a negotiation model for converging to a WINWIN agreement, and a WINWIN equilibrium condition to test whether the negotiation process has converged. The negotiation model guides success-critical stakeholders in elaborating mutually satisfactory agreements: Stakeholders express their goals as win conditions. If everyone concurs, the win conditions become agreements. When stakeholders do not concur, they identify their conflicted win conditions and register their conflicts as issues. In this case, stakeholders invent options for mutual gain and explore the option trade-offs. Options are iterated and turned into agreements when all stakeholders concur. A domain taxonomy is used to organize WinWin artifacts. Important terms of the domain are captured in a glossary.

EasyWinWin: is a requirements definition methodology that builds on the win-win negotiation approach and leverages collaborative technology to improve the involvement and interaction of key stakeholders.

(http://sunset.usc.edu/research/WINWIN/winwin_main.html)

q      With Easy WinWin, stakeholders move through a step-by-step win-win negotiation where they collect, elaborate, and prioritize their requirements, and surface and resolve issues to come up with mutually satisfactory agreements.

q      EasyWinWin defines a set of activities guiding stakeholders through a process of gathering, elaborating, prioritizing, and negotiating requirements. Easy WinWin uses group facilitation techniques that are supported by collaborative tools (electronic brainstorming, categorizing, polling, etc.).