Requirements engineering: In search of the dependent variables
Information and Software Technology
A practitioner's guide to light weight software process assessment and improvement planning
Journal of Systems and Software
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Requirements management is being recognized as one ofthe most important albeit difficult phases in softwareengineering. The literature repeatedly cites the role ofwell-defined requirements and requirements managementprocess in problem analysis and project managementbenefiting software development throughout the life cycle:during design, coding, testing and documentation ofsoftware.This paper reports on the findings of an investigationinto industrial practice of requirements managementprocess improvement and its effects on downstreamdevelopment. The evidence reveals a strong relationshipbetween a well-defined requirements process andincreased developer productivity, improved projectplanning through better estimations and enhanced abilityfor stakeholders to negotiate project scope. These resultsare important since there is little empirical evidence of theactual benefits of sound requirements practice, in spite ofthe plethora of claims in the literature. An account of theseeffects not only adds to our understanding of goodrequirements practice but also provides strong motivationfor software organizations to develop programs forimprovement of their requirements processes