Creation of an automated management software requirements environment: A practical experience

A software process improvement programme is under way at a Spanish financial institution. A structured methodology, supported by formal and informal techniques and tools, is being established by a methodological support group, as a starting point for the improvement. This paper centres particularly on the methodological and automated management of software requirements analysis. This process was previously performed in a not formal manner, and the most direct consequence was the high costs in maintenance. The methodology developed includes actions to obtain, refine and validate the software requirements. It also includes an organisational Software Requirements Specification (SRS) standard, implemented on a commercial tool which was selected as a result of a formal evaluation process. Additionally, a procedure was defined for working with the SRS and the tool. The results of this practical experience show an improvement in SRS quality, and work is no longer duplicated, since more correct and complete specifications are obtained.