A two‐step methodology to reduce requirement defects

ISSN： 1022-7091

Source： Annals of Software Engineering, Vol.3, Iss.1, 1997-01, pp. : 477-494

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Abstract

Defects are introduced into a software product during every phase of software development. A major source of defects that is often overlooked is requirements generation. Requirement errors discovered in later phases of the software development process are the most costly to correct because all phases of software development are usually impacted. Requirement defects can be categorized into two main types: 1) specification generation errors; and 2) unwanted/unnecessary/incorrect user functionality. This experience report presents the results of incorporating a two‐step methodology which combines Operational Demonstrations of the user interface and Requirement Inspections on software requirement specifications. The two‐step methodology addresses and corrects both types of requirement defects. Results from this experience support the premise that cost reduction and quality improvement can be obtained using a combined Operational Demonstration and Requirement Inspection development methodology for software requirements.