Formality and Informality in Requirements Engineering.
Joseph A. Goguen · 1996
: This paper is an overview of a new approach to requirements; the exposition takes formality and informality as its theme. The approach considers that requirements are information and that information is social. Ethnomethodology and semiotics are used to explore the nature of information and requirements. Some limits of formalization, and the importance of tacit knowledge and evolution motivate new methods for acquiring and tracing requirements. 1 Introduction Requirements are information, and information is situated, i.e., we must consider how it is produced and used, not merely how it is represented. The situations that determine the meaning of requirements are not merely technical, but involve social context in significant ways. The social situatedness of information means that to some degree, it is irreducibly informal. However, there are some advantages to informality and situatedness for requirements engineering, including greater flexibility and efficiency. This paper is an ...