Gameplay to introduce and reinforce requirements engineering good practices
Abstract
Requirements are essential if development organizations are to be sure that they are building a system that users want. However, many recent software project risk studies have shown that Requirements Engineering deficiencies are the most common reasons for project failures. Most of the current RE research is focused on large complex projects where the research contribution is on new processes or new techniques. These new processes or techniques can be expensive and time-consuming when applied in small settings. Conversely, very little has been done to study RE in small organizations. The premise of this research is that existing Requirements Engineering good practices can be creatively introduced to these organizations in lieu of developing new processes and techniques. The many good Requirements Engineering practices can be distilled into a lightweight set of practices that can be easily implemented by academia and small organizations. This research focuses on issues related to RE education. It seeks to incorporate creative pedagogical methods for teaching RE skills. This research explores the following questions: (1) Which RE practices are well-suited to small RE-inexperienced organizations (i.e., a lightweight set of RE practices appropriate for teaching and training basic skills)? (2) Assuming that it is possible to identify RE good practices that suit the needs of small RE-inexperienced organizations, what are the desirable characteristics of a method to introduce them? (3) Following from the agile community, can an interactive game be an effective method of introducing these lightweight RE practices in academia and small organizations (i.e., do players increase their knowledge of RE)? (4) What are the benefits and limitations of using an interactive game to teach RE good practices? To address the research questions, this dissertation develops, validates and reports on the use of a game to introduce lightweight RE to organizations in academic and industry settings.
Subject Area
Industrial engineering|Computer science
Recommended Citation
Smith, Renel, "Gameplay to introduce and reinforce requirements engineering good practices" (2009). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI3367218.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI3367218
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