Decision support for requirements engineering process development

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology that provides decision support for the iterative development of requirements engineering (RE) processes, which is a significant step towards bridging the gap between RE theory and practice. The methodology presented is based on a multicriteria decision making model C. Zopounidis et al. (2000) and an N-dimensional process development methodology A. Eberlein et al. (2001) in order to provide support for requirements engineers to tailor/define RE process models and to select the most appropriate RE techniques for a specific project. Currently available RE models and techniques are stored in a RE process knowledge base (REPKB) which is the basis for decision support. The general theory behind this methodology is described and an algorithm for the implementation of our decision support is discussed in the paper. Preliminary results suggest that the framework makes a useful contribution to requirements engineering by helping requirements engineers to develop better RE processes.