Requirements engineering: making the connection between the software developer and customer

Requirements engineering are one of the most crucial steps in software development process. Without a well-written requirements specification, developer's do not know what to build, user's do not know what to expect, and there is no way to validate that the created system actually meets the original needs of the user. Much of the emphasis in the recent attention for a software engineering discipline has centered on the formalization of software specifications and their flowdown to system design and verification. Undoubtedly, the incorporation of such sound, complete, and unambiguous traceability is vital to the success of any project. However, it has been our experience through years of work (on both sides) within the government and private sector military industrial establishment that many projects fail even before they reach the formal specification stage. That is because too often the developer does not truly understand or address the real requirements of the user and his environment. The purpose of this research and report is to investigate the key players and their roles along with the existing methods and obstacles in Requirements Elicitation. The article will concentrate on emphasizing key activities and methods for gathering this information, as well as offering new approaches and ideas for improving the transfer and record of this information. Our hope is that this article will become an informal policy reminder/guideline for engineers and project managers alike. The success of our products and systems are largely determined by our attention to the human dimensions of the requirements process. We hope this article will bring attention to this oft-neglected element in software development and encourage discussion about how to effectively address the issue. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.