An Introduction to Requirements Engineering

The focus of software engineering is moving from writing reliable large-scale software to ensuring that this software meets the needs of the users for whom it was designed. The business of eliciting and then implementing the (often changing) user requirements is requirements engineering.  This book is intended for the undergraduate novice who is being introduced to software requirements engineering. It is a hard subject for which there is no formulaic approach and for which it is sometimes difficult to motivate students who are unaware of the problems involved and therefore the need to study the subject. It therefore begins with small, relatively simple, case studies and builds on these to provide the opportunities to scale up this expertise to large industrial projects.  The book will be in three parts: the first provides a guide to all the important requirements engineering toppics; the second gives more detail on useful techniques (for problem definition and modelling); the third contain the complete case studies, extracts from which are used in parts one and two. Requirements Engineering is a jargon-filled subject, so a comprehensive glossary is provided as well as definitions within the text.

Shelving category: Software Engineering/Software Requirements/Requirements Engineering

Introduction to Requirements Engineering

Ian K Bray

The focus of software engineering is moving from writing reliable large-scale software to ensuring that this software meets the needs of the users for whom it was designed. Investigating and describing the (often changing) requirements and their context, together with the determination and documentation of the characteristics of a system that will meet those requirements, is the domain of requirements engineering.

This book is intended for undergraduates encountering software requirements engineering for the first time. It is a hard subject for which there is no formulaic approach. It therefore begins with small, relatively simple case studies and builds on these to provide the opportunities to scale up this expertise to large industrial projects. The foundations, so often glossed over, are carefully developed to give the reader an understanding of why particular approaches and techniques are appropriate in different situations.

The book is divided into three parts: the first provides a guide to all the important requirements engineering topics; the second gives more detail on useful techniques (for problem definition and modelling); the third contains the complete case studies, extracts from which are used in parts one and two. Requirements engineering is a jargon-filled subject, so a comprehensive glossary is provided as well as definitions within the text.

Key features

• Covers all the requirements engineering tasks and documents
• Clear explanation of the foundations
• Introduction to all the important techniques
• Practical guidance on accomplishing the tasks
• Guidelines for tackling different types of application
• Examples of complete requirements documents and specifications
• Numerous pointers for further, advanced study

Ian Bray

is a part time Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University, where he has taught requirements engineering to undergraduates and postgraduates since 1990. Previously he held various posts in the software engineering industry including designer, analyst, software quality assurance manager and customer support manager.