Requirements Engineering: From System Goals to UML Models to Software Specifications [Paperback]

Axel van Lamsweerde (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470012706 | ISBN-13: 978-0470012703 | Publication Date: March 4, 2009 | Edition: 1

Essential comprehensive coverage of the fundamentals of requirements engineering

Requirements engineering (RE) deals with the variety of prerequisites that must be met by a software system within an organization in order for that system to produce stellar results. With that explanation in mind, this must-have book presents a disciplined approach to the engineering of high-quality requirements. Serving as a helpful introduction to the fundamental concepts and principles of requirements engineering, this guide offers a comprehensive review of the aim, scope, and role of requirements engineering as well as best practices and flaws to avoid.

• Shares state-of-the-art techniques for domain analysis, requirements elicitation, risk analysis, conflict management, and more
• Features in-depth treatment of system modeling in the specific context of engineering requirements
• Presents various forms of reasoning about models for requirements quality assurance
• Discusses the transitions from requirements to software specifications to software architecture

In addition, case studies are included that complement the many examples provided in the book in order to show you how the described method and techniques are applied in practical situations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book provides a systematic and practical approach to the engineering of high-quality requirements. It covers the entire requirements lifecycle and integrates state-of-the-art techniques for requirements elicitation, evaluation, specification, analysis, and evolution. Modeling plays a central role. A method is presented for building and analyzing a multi-view model of the target system, where each step is supported by heuristic rules, tactics, modeling patterns, and bad smells to avoid.

Highlights include:

• A comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of requirements engineering, including techniques for: requirements elicitation and reuse, risk analysis, conflict management, and requirements prioritization; requirements specification, inspection, validation, and verification; traceability management and change control.
•   An in-depth treatment of system modelling for requirements engineering, including constructive techniques for modeling system goals, conceptual objects, responsibilities among system agents, operations, scenarios and intended behaviors, and countermeasures to anticipated hazards and threats.
• A variety of techniques for model-based evaluation of alternative options, model refinement checking, model animation, property verification, inductive model synthesis, and analysis of conflicts, hazards, and security threats.
• Use of standard UML notations wherever applicable. Most techniques are based on a solid formal framework, kept hidden throughout the major part of the book for wider accessibility.
• Numerous examples from running case studies in a variety of domains, including security- and safety-critical ones. Rich set of problems and exercises at the end of each chapter together with bibliographical notes for further study.

The book is primarily written for undergraduates and masters students in software or system engineering to acquire a solid background in requirements engineering and system modelling. It is also intended for practitioners in need of systematic guidance for elaborating and analyzing requirements. The last part on model-based reasoning is more targeted to graduate students. A companion website with additional instructor resources and tool support can be found at www.wileyeurope.com/college/van lamsweerde

About the Author

Axel van Lamsweerde is Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium. He recently received the ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award for "deep and lasting contributions to the theory and practice of requirements engineering".

Product Details

• Paperback: 712 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470012706
• ISBN-13: 978-0470012703
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Software Design, Testing & Engineering > UML

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will make you think..., May 15, 2009

By 

T. Anderson (PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Requirements Engineering: From System Goals to UML Models to Software Specifications (Paperback)

This is not for the happy go lucky requirements gatherer. It is a detailed breakdown of everything requirements engineering for software intensive systems. It will make you think.

The book describes the KAOS method in detail and the author uses Objectiver as the modeling tool. Sometimes a book is not worth buying when you are not using the tool. That is not the case with this book. It is packed with valuable advice and examples.

Reading the book did prompt me to download Objectiver. Very cool tool, but it is also complex. Complex is not a bad thing when you consider this book is about an engineering discipline, and engineering is needed because you are trying to do something complex.

The author covers the fundamentals of Requirements Engineering in detail in the first part of the book, Building System Models for Requirements Engineering in part two, and then Reasoning About System Models in part three.

This book does exactly what the title says, it shows you how to go from System Goals to UML Models to Software Specifications.

If you are building complex systems, this book is definitely for you.

I highly recommend this book, and have nothing negative to say about.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Graduate level book on requirements, November 10, 2009

By 

Omar E. Soberanis "osoberanis" (Austin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Requirements Engineering: From System Goals to UML Models to Software Specifications (Paperback)

Excellent book on requirements; however, the book is at graduate level this is not a book you can actually read it and take to industry right away. You need to do some planning before you can apply some of the techniques.

In some cases the book is very abstract and it needs more down to earth examples and more explanation on some of the techniques. The diagrams in the book are very very abstract and not correctly explained. Some of the diagrams are missing more explanation to understand what the author is trying to educate.

Overall this is a good book in fact I encourage readers to buy it if they are very serious about learning how to apply engineering to requirements.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and comprehensive, October 5, 2010

By 

Throb - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Requirements Engineering: From System Goals to UML Models to Software Specifications (Paperback)

Axel van Lamsweerde has produced a hefty, thorough and comprehensive analysis of the translation of pure requirements into software requirements. In van Lamsweerde's own words:
...a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of requirements engineering
...a thorough treatment of system modelling in the specific context of requirements engineering
...a presentation of various forms of reasoning about system models
I haven't read the entire book yet, but the first part is proving to be excellent. The book is not easy reading - 682 pages on a complex subject. van Lamsweerde uses a goal-oriented approach to RE but this focus is only really elaborated on in the second half of the book. The wealth of knowledge contained in this book makes it a most worthwhile purchase.