A Method to Evaluating Consistency, Completeness and Correctness in Evolution Requirements

Abstract

Changes in the domain in which a specific software was developed can generate a demand for new requirements known as requirements evolution. However, it is expected that these will be specified in a consistent, complete and correct manner. This work defines a method that makes it possible to assess the consistency, completeness and correctness of requirements defined during the software evolution. The developed method is composed of two phases: (1) analysis of units of information, i.e., the analysis of each requirement and its domain; and (2) analysis of these items through indicators for consistency and completeness. For verification purposes, the method was applied through a case study in a software company and, the results presents positive indicators for the improvement of quality in requirements evolution. The project, object of this study, originally had a high rework load, that is, correction in the codification of the requirements of the case study. Through the application of the method, it was possible to identify that most of the evaluated requirements, which presented inconsistency or completeness problem, were associated with rework efforts.