Abstract
Agile Software Development (ASD) has several limitations concerning its requirements engineering activities. Improving the quality of Software Requirements Specifications (SRSs) in ASD may help to gain a competitive advantage in the software industry. Based on the findings of a Systematic Mapping study, six industrial case studies in different contexts were conducted to investigate and characterize the requirements specification activity in ASD. Data collected from documents, observations, and interviews with software engineers were triangulated, analyzed, and synthesized using Grounded Theory and Meta-Ethnography. The analysis and cross-synthesis of the six case studies resulted in a model describing the phenomenon. This model defines the simplicity and objectivity as essential quality factors of SRSs in ASD. The main factors that affect the SRSs quality in ASD projects are related to their customer-driven nature that leads to prolix SRSs, hindering its understanding from the developer perspective. The emerged model is supported by explanations and provides a deeper understanding of the requirements specification activity in ASD. This creates opportunities for further studies and improvements in SRSs for ASD in industry.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 171-194 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Systems and Software |
| Volume | 142 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2018 |
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Keywords
- Agile methods
- Agile Requirements Engineering
- Empirical study
- Requirements specification
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Quality of software requirements specification in agile projects: a cross-case analysis of six companies. / Medeiros, Juliana; Vasconcelos, Alexandre; Silva, Carla; Goulão, Miguel.
In: Journal of Systems and Software, Vol. 142, 01.08.2018, p. 171-194.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Quality of software requirements specification in agile projects: a cross-case analysis of six companies
AU - Medeiros, Juliana
AU - Vasconcelos, Alexandre
AU - Silva, Carla
AU - Goulão, Miguel
N1 - Sem PDF conforme despacho.
PY - 2018/8/1
Y1 - 2018/8/1
N2 - Agile Software Development (ASD) has several limitations concerning its requirements engineering activities. Improving the quality of Software Requirements Specifications (SRSs) in ASD may help to gain a competitive advantage in the software industry. Based on the findings of a Systematic Mapping study, six industrial case studies in different contexts were conducted to investigate and characterize the requirements specification activity in ASD. Data collected from documents, observations, and interviews with software engineers were triangulated, analyzed, and synthesized using Grounded Theory and Meta-Ethnography. The analysis and cross-synthesis of the six case studies resulted in a model describing the phenomenon. This model defines the simplicity and objectivity as essential quality factors of SRSs in ASD. The main factors that affect the SRSs quality in ASD projects are related to their customer-driven nature that leads to prolix SRSs, hindering its understanding from the developer perspective. The emerged model is supported by explanations and provides a deeper understanding of the requirements specification activity in ASD. This creates opportunities for further studies and improvements in SRSs for ASD in industry.
AB - Agile Software Development (ASD) has several limitations concerning its requirements engineering activities. Improving the quality of Software Requirements Specifications (SRSs) in ASD may help to gain a competitive advantage in the software industry. Based on the findings of a Systematic Mapping study, six industrial case studies in different contexts were conducted to investigate and characterize the requirements specification activity in ASD. Data collected from documents, observations, and interviews with software engineers were triangulated, analyzed, and synthesized using Grounded Theory and Meta-Ethnography. The analysis and cross-synthesis of the six case studies resulted in a model describing the phenomenon. This model defines the simplicity and objectivity as essential quality factors of SRSs in ASD. The main factors that affect the SRSs quality in ASD projects are related to their customer-driven nature that leads to prolix SRSs, hindering its understanding from the developer perspective. The emerged model is supported by explanations and provides a deeper understanding of the requirements specification activity in ASD. This creates opportunities for further studies and improvements in SRSs for ASD in industry.
KW - Agile methods
KW - Agile Requirements Engineering
KW - Empirical study
KW - Requirements specification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046681152&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jss.2018.04.064
DO - 10.1016/j.jss.2018.04.064
M3 - Article
VL - 142
SP - 171
EP - 194
JO - Journal of Systems and Software
JF - Journal of Systems and Software
SN - 0164-1212
ER -