Prototyping as a Requirements Engineering Technique
Franz Lang, Alexander Mjöberg · Lund University Publications Student Papers (Lund University) · 2020
CONTEXT : Requirements Engineering is an important part of Software development.Software development has largely moved towards agile practices and the eld of Requirements Engineering is no exception.However, within Agile Requirements Engineering much research remains to be done [ ]. Prototyping has been identi ed by one study as a technique that can solve challenges surrounding Agile Requirements Engineering [ ].As the practical use of prototypes is not self-evident, prototyping methodology is useful to understand before being used in an Agile Requirements Engineering context.This begs the question, what is a meaningful model of prototyping and how can it be applied in an Agile Requirements Engineering context?METHOD : We perform a case-study at Telavox, a company seeking to develop a new product with agile software development methodology.A literature study is conducted to gather knowledge on prototyping methodology and assemble a model.An exploratory case study with prototyping activities is conducted to better understand delity in the context of prototyping.Finally we attempt to provide guidelines for prototyping in an Agile development project and validate our approach using a focus group.OUTCOME : We present the Prototyping Aspects Model which breaks down prototyping into four aspects : Purpose, Strategy, Scope and Review method.Findings in the exploratory case study indicate that altering these aspects has an e ect on the perceived values of the prototype.We produce a set of guidelines that use prototyping as a means of coordinating the requirements engineering process in agile development projects.CONTRIBUTION : The Prototyping Aspects Model can be used to conduct further research within the eld of prototyping.It can also help companies understand the potential applications of prototyping.The agile prototyping guidelines can help researchers and business alike establish valuable use of prototyping within agile development contexts.