Support for Process Oriented Requirements Engineering.

Abstract

Supporting a Process Oriented Requirements Method Process modelling as a way to inform requirements has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years, particularly in those methods that utilise a Role Activity Diagram based approach. By using these models within the requirements phase the client needs can be captured effectively in a notation that makes sense to the business user, whilst also providing a rigorous description. However, the move to specification still has pitfalls, notably in ensuring that the understanding gained from process modelling can be transferred effectively to the specification so that alignment of business need and software system is maintained. This talk outlines issues and potential solutions in ensuring such alignment, and incorporates our recent experiences in attempting to provide tool support. In particular, we describe tool support for model driven development (as part of the collaborative EC project VIDE), and the use of process mashups, including work undertaken at SAP research. In both cases our focus has been on providing sets of notations and tools which are accessible to a variety of users, often including those stakeholders who are not IT experts. Mashups are a relatively new approach, and use web 2.0 technologies to combine data from different sources to create valuable information, principally for data aggregation applications. This utilises the potential of the internet and related technologies, to allow users to process tasks collaboratively, and form communities among those with similar interests. We present currently available mashup platforms and demonstrate how situational enterprise applications can be built by combining social software, feeds, widgets, web services, open APIs, and so on. The session does not require any specific technical skills, though experienced process engineers will have the opportunity to share their views. Participants will learn: • How to use simple role based process models • Issues in moving from process model to specification • How to use simple notational devices to ensure alignment • How development tools can help, with a particular focus on the use of mashups • Current process mashup approaches and future directions.