A systematic approach to requirements engineering process improvement in small and medium software companies

Abstract

Requirements Engineering (RE) studies have demonstrated that requirements errors affect the quality of software developed, making software requirements critical determinants of software quality. Requirements Engineering Process Improvement (REPI) models have been provided by different authors to improve the RE process. However, little success has been achieved in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) software companies especially in transitional countries such as Uganda. This study therefore, reports on an exploratory study which provides insights into current RE practices in four Ugandan SME software companies and challenges that impede REPI. As a result a Systematic Approach to Requirements Engineering Process Improvement (SAREPI) has been designed following the design science approach. The SAREPI was validated following the design science research approach where four case organizations were used. From the study, it is reported that the approach is indeed easy to use, understandable and is applicable to all kinds of SMEs that would wish to conduct REPI. The work reported in this study has been disseminated to peers through two conference papers: i. Edward Kabaale and Josephine Nabukenya, (2011). A Systematic Approach to Requirements Engineering Process Improvement in Small and Medium Enterprises: An Exploratory Study. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Product Focused Software Development and Process Improvement (PROFES 2011), June 20-22,2011 Torre Canne (BR) Italy. ii. Edward Kabaale and Josephine Nabukenya, (2011). On Improving Requirements Engineering Processes in Small and Medium Enterprises using a Systematic Approach. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Product Focused Software Development and Process Improvement (PROFES 2011), June 20-22,2011 Torre Canne (BR) Italy.