Linguistic Problems with Requirements and Knowledge Elicitation

Human and conversational aspects of requirements and knowledge identification are employed to show that requirements ‘engineering’ is not the same as civil engineering or scientific problem solving. Not only can requirements not be made fully explicit at the start of a project, they cannot be made fully explicit at all. A need is identified to enhance computer-based information systems (CBIS) development methods to accommodate: plurality of incommensurable perspectives, languages and agendas; dynamic representations of system features that can be experienced rather than abstracted and forced into an abstract paper-based representation; recognition that CBIS development is in general a continuous process where users changing their minds is a natural and necessary indication or organisational vitality.  It is suggested that prototyping and rapid application development go some way to addressing these requirements but that they require further development in the light of the theoretical light thrown on the nature of the problem.     

知识引导的软件可信性需求的提取

软件系统的可信性已经成为一个受到广泛关注的焦点问题.开发可信的软件系统的前提是在需求阶段提取恰当的可信性需求.能否提取出足够好的软件可信性需求,不仅依赖于需求工程师对未来软件系统可能面临的威胁的认识,还依赖于其对各种威胁有效的应对措施的了解和掌握.目前缺少系统化的方法指导软件可信性需求的提取.文中提出一个软件可信性需求...     

面向用户需求获取的在线评论有用性分析

在线评论已成为互联网环境下用户需求获取的重要数据资源.然而,评论质量的良莠不齐严重干扰了需求挖掘的准确性和可信性.如何发现能够准确描述用户需求的有用评论是提高需求获取技术有效性的前提保障.针对这一问题,文中提出一种基于复杂网络的评论有用性分析方法,利用评论间的语义关联,从宏观的角度分析评论对于用户需求识别的有用程度,进而发现能够准确描述用户需求的评论.作者将评论看作一种内容互连的网络拓扑的形态,利用评论网络节点的重要性来度量评论的有用性,并通过拓扑势理论将用户的主观评价与网络拓扑结构的客观影响有机融合对评论网络节点重要性进行分析.实验结果表明,该方法所确定的高有用性评论能够保证用户需求获取具有较高的准确率和覆盖率.     

一种问题驱动基于场景的协同式需求诱导方法

在软件开发中,大多数的利益相关者并不能清晰地把握他们对于将要开发的软件系统的明确需求.文中提出了一种问题驱动基于场景的协同式需求诱导方法,试图在企业信息系统的上下文中为需求获取问题提供一种现实可行的解决方案.该方法的基本思想是:软件系统的需求不应该以一种主观的方式由利益相关者提出;而应该通过一种"问题识别与解决"的过程,逐步引导利益相关者提出具有客观依据的软件需求.即首先识别出组织的业务现状中存在的重要问题;然后,以解决问题为目标,提出相应的软件需求.基于这种思想,文中采用"场景"的概念作为描述组织业务状况的基本单元,并通过利益相关者之间的协同实现对业务现状的建模、对业务现状中问题的识别、对问题解决方案的确定以及对业务期望的建模等活动,从而实现对软件需求的有效获取.     

智能需求获取与建模研究综述

需求获取和建模是指从需求文本或记录中获取显式和隐式的需求,并通过表格化、图形化、形式化等方法构建相应模型的过程,是软件开发过程中极为关键的一步,为后续系统设计与实现铺平道路,提高软件开发效率和质量,提升软件系统稳定性和可行性.研究者们在需求获取与建模方面获得了一系列研究成果,根据其关注阶段不同,可以将它们分为需求知识提...     

情景感知的软件需求获取与建模技术综述

情境感知的移动应用能够适应用户当前状态,因此这类应用越来越受到青睐。但由于上下文情景的维度是无数的,这使得获取和建模情境感知系统的情景需求成为一大挑战。本文通过文献综述的方法,旨在:(1)发现有哪些情境感知的需求获取与建模方法;(2)评估这些方法的技术转移成熟度。通过对所选择的61篇相关文献,进行数据抽取和分析综合,本文总结并识别出11种需求获取的方法、10种需求建模的方法以及它们的技术转移现状。结果显示:(1)最受欢迎的情景感知需求获取方法是用例和场景,而最常用的情境感知需求建模方法则是面向目标的方法;(2)在大多数相关文献中的需求获取与建模技术的技术成熟度都不高,不利于其面向工业界进行技术转移。     

基于RGPS的网络式软件需求获取与分析方法

网络式软件作为一种部署在网络环境中的复杂系统,同时亦是一种典型的面向服务软件,为用户提供随需而变的在线服务。文章提出网络式软件需求获取与分析方法,该方法基于RGPS领域资产,从而避免了在需求过程中的不明确、不一致和不完整性等。为了证明方法的正确性,文章还实现了其框架,并开发出了一个工具原型来辅助需求的在线获取获取与分析。     

Requirements Elicitation and Analysis of Multiagent Systems Using Activity Theory

Requirements elicitation and analysis is intended to gain knowledge about customers' needs and the environment of a software system. Requirements not only commonly deal with business processes and their data but also with the motivation behind these activities, the social structures that forge them, and previous design decisions. Recent studies show that the intentional and social concepts of agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) could be used for the analysis of these aspects. Nevertheless, even having specialized modeling primitives for these requirements is not sufficient for their elicitation. Specialized analysis techniques are also required, but this is commonly overlooked by agent-oriented methodologies. This paper aims to provide the needed modeling primitives and support by means of the theoretical and methodological foundation of a social sciences framework, the activity theory, and its activity checklist. They inspire our Requirements Elicitation Guide (REG) for AOSE. The REG contains the expert knowledge that developers need to grasp information about their multiagent systems, human environments, and their mutual influences. This knowledge takes the form of requirements described as diagrams in a proper modeling language. The REG is applied in a process with the corresponding support tool. In this way, the REG guides requirements elicitation and increases the productivity with the use of templates for a wide range of requirements. These elements have been validated with several case studies. Two of them appear as part of this paper.      

用例驱动技术在需求获取过程中的应用

需求获取是软件开发过程中非常重要的环节,它贯穿于整个软件生命周期。针对系统客户和开发人员由于认识问题角度和知识的差异而存在的需求获取障碍,提出了一种基于用例的需求获取方法。该方法以用户和任务为中心,设计了一个用户需求描述模板,引导用户填写需求描述信息,开发人员利用用例驱动技术对需求描述信息进行分析和验证,最终获取全面和准确的参与者和用例信息。该构建过程不仅为构造用例图和类图奠定了基础,而且也使软件工程活动更加规范。     

Effective Communication in Requirements Elicitation: A Comparison of Methodologies

The elicitation or communication of user requirements comprises an early and critical but highly error-prone stage in system development. Socially oriented methodologies provide more support for user involvement in design than the rigidity of more traditional methods, facilitating the degree of user–designer communication and the ‘capture’ of requirements. A more emergent and collaborative view of requirements elicitation and communication is required to encompass the user, contextual and organisational factors. From this accompanying literature in communication issues in requirements elicitation, a four-dimensional framework is outlined and used to appraise comparatively four different methodologies seeking to promote a closer working relationship between users and designers. The facilitation of communication between users and designers is subject to discussion of the ways in which communicative activities can be ‘optimised’ for successful requirements gathering, by making recommendations based on the four dimensions to provide fruitful considerations for system designers.     

基于用例驱动分析的软件需求获取方法

用例驱动方法是当前国际流行的软件开发过程之一 ,软件开发所有阶段的活动都是以用例为核心。本文在对软件需求进行层次划分的基础上 ,探讨了一个以用户为中心 ,使用用例驱动分析技术依据用户目标获取不同层次的软件需求的过程。     

Expected Lifetime with and without Cataract among Older Adults in China

Despite its curability by a simple and low-cost surgical procedure, cataract remains the leading cause??accounting for almost one-half??of all blindness in the world. The problem is particularly severe in developing countries, and with the ageing of populations and increasing life expectancy, the burden of cataract disease is expected to increase substantially in the coming years. Using a demographic approach, this study examined the prevalence of cataract and estimated lifetime with and without cataract among older adults in China, a rapidly ageing country with the world??s largest population. Data came from the 2002 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey and life tables in the same year. Sullivan??s method was used. The results indicated that overall, 5.7% percent of Chinese aged 65 and over reported having cataract that is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. Cataract increases with age, affects women more than men, and is higher in urban than rural areas. At age 65, men and women can expect on average 0.7 years (4.7%) and 1.2 years (7.3%) of remaining life with cataract, respectively. The corresponding figures for urban and rural older adults are 1.7 (9.8%) and 0.6 (4.1%) years. The prevalence rates and life expectancy with cataract were likely underestimated given the low levels of eye examinations to detect eye diseases among the Chinese, particularly in rural areas. We discussed preventive strategies to minimize the risk and delay the onset of cataract. Policy measures pertaining to availability and accessibility of cataract surgeries are further discussed.     

问题驱动的需求捕获中问题分析与解决技术研究

问题驱动的需求捕获方法广泛应用于需求获取.然而,利益相关者通常难以找到真实的、一致的问题解决方案并清晰地表达出来.协同式的问题分析与解决方法可以帮助利益相关者找到并表达出真实、一致的解决方案.方法的基本思想是:首先各个利益相关者平等地、按照一定流程协同地分析问题表述的可理解性、问题的价值、问题存在原因;然后利益相关者协同地识别解决方案.通过关联原因和解决方案来保证解决方案的客观性.通过问题的分类,提出问题及协同元素的元模型,及时关注相关联的问题,评估利益相关者的参与程度,用以帮助利益相关者分析与解决问题.选取“高校学生选课系统”进行实例研究,结果显示协同式问题分析与解决是一种在实际应用中行之有效的方法.     

Socio-Technical and Soft Approaches to Information Requirements Elicitation in the Post-Methodology Era

The contributors to this special issue focus on socio-technical and soft approaches to information requirements elicitation and systems development. They represent a growing body of research and practice in this field. This review presents an overview and analysis of the salient themes within the papers encompassing their common underlying framework, the methodologies and tools and techniques presented, the organisational situations in which they are deployed and the issues they seek to address. It will be argued in the review that the contributions to this special edition exemplify the ‘post-methodological era’ and the ‘contingency approaches’ from which it is formed.     

AbstFinder, A Prototype Natural Language Text Abstraction Finder for Use in Requirements Elicitation

Abstraction identification is named as a key problem in requirements analysis. Typically, the abstrac-tions must be found among the large mass of natural language text collected from the clients and users. This paper motivates and describes a new approach, based on traditional signal processing methods. for finding abstractions in natural language text and offers a new tool, AbstFinder as an implementation of this approach. The advantages and disadvantages of the approach and the design of the tool are discussed in detail. Various scenarios for use of the tool are offered. Some of these scenarios were used in case study of the effectiveness of rhe tool on an industrial-strength example of finding abstractions in a request for proposals.     

Development of a Weighted Heuristic for Website Evaluation for Older Adults

Older adults are the fastest growing population of Internet users. As websites acquire a greater number of older visitors, it is vital that they are designed with this demographic in mind. Older users typically have different user characteristics than younger users; they may have changes in perceptual abilities, motor skills, cognitive abilities, mental models, and confidence in the use of technology. This research documents the development of a new weighted heuristic measure for evaluating the usability of websites for older adults and its validation with performance testing. Results from a repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that websites with different heuristic classifications were significantly different with respect to performance metrics and System Usability Scale ratings. Conclusions point to the need for web design that takes into account preferences and abilities of older web users.     

Older Adults Talk Technology: Technology Usage and Attitudes

Older adults (n = 113) participated in focus groups discussing their use of and attitudes about technology in the context of their home, work, and healthcare. Participants reported using a wide variety of technology items, particularly in their homes. Positive attitudes (i.e., likes) outnumbered negative attitudes (i.e., dislikes), suggesting that older adults perceive the benefits of technology use to outweigh the costs of such use. Positive attitudes were most frequently related to how the technology supported activities, enhanced convenience, and contained useful features. Negative attitudes were most frequently associated with technology creating inconveniences, unhelpful features, as well as security and reliability concerns. Given that older adults reported more positive than negative attitudes about the technologies they use, these results contradict stereotypes that older adults are afraid or unwilling to use technology. These findings also highlight the importance of perceived benefits of use and ease of use for models of technology acceptance. Emphasizing the benefits of technology in education and training programs may increase future technology adoption.     

面向老年人的社会化网络服务平台研究

针对目前已有社会化网络服务对社会影响的研究更侧重于青少年,对老年人群体研究相对较少的情况,本文研究了面向老年人的社会化网络服务平台,介绍了平台的体系结构,阐述了社交系统、数据分析和信息服务。此平台利用面向老年人的社交网络服务系统获得用户行为数据,在数据集成、时空数据仓库存储的基础上,通过建立老年人社会网络行为的数学模型,运用统计学方法进行建模分析,分析结果可为多层次人员提供不同的信息服务。