Interfacing Requirements Management Tools In The Requirements Management Process – A First Look
David Arthur Jones, Pradip Kar, James R. van Gaasbeek, Frank Hollenbach, Marty Bell, Robert S. Ellinger · INCOSE International Symposium · 1997
ABSTRACT Interfacing requirements management software tools with other tools can facilitate the requirements management process by allowing people to exchange requirements more easily, to use the optimum tools in their work, and to adapt to tool changes. In this exploratory paper we attempt to provide some useful information to requirement tool users and developers who need to specify or devise requirement tool interfaces. Examination of a simple hierarchical requirement data flow model suggests major interfaces of Document import / parsing Derivation analyses Publication (electronic and / or paper) Flowdown to lower level Database import / export Companion programs (e.g. graphics editors) The model presented suggests the type of data that should flow across these interfaces. Twelve commercial requirements management tools are identified in this paper, and a couple of interface file formats are illustrated. Some generalizations are made, such as that each data item should be entered once and reside in a single master location where possible. Several examples of actual implementations illustrate accomplishments and practical difficulties encountered. Also eight commercial / consortium tool integration efforts are summarized with lists of the major tools involved, and a couple of standardization efforts are described, including a major European effort, SEDRES. Some work by INCOSE in identifying requirements data is recommended in this paper. Not all of the topics in this paper are covered in detail, but we think that a significant amount of useful information is provided.