Requirements engineering for software in emerging markets

Software requirements engineering is the practice of eliciting, analysing and recording the acceptance criteria of a system based on the needs of the systems users and its stakeholders. The ability for software architects to accurately determine and describe system requirements has improved vastly through the evolution of software development process models, processes and techniques. These advancements have eased the pressure of rising complexity in software projects, yet demand for increased functionality and development rate requires that the scope and efficiencies of requirements engineering be pushed forward. This paper explores the history and evolution of requirements engineering processes and building on current trends, prescribes a potential paradigm for future projects in emerging markets. This requirements engineering process model is then applied to a case study; SERPENT, a government sponsored software initiative aimed at the construction industry in the UK.