Agile Quality Requirements Management Best Practices Portfolio: A Situational Method Engineering Approach

Abstract

Management of Quality Requirements (QRs) is determinant for the success of software projects. However, this management is currently under-considered in software projects and in particular, in agile methods. Although agile processes are focused on the functional aspects of the software, some agile practices can be beneficial for the management of QRs. For example, the collaboration and interaction of people can help in the elicitation by reducing vagueness of requirements through communication. In this paper, we present the initial findings of our research investigating what industrial practices, from the agile methods, can be used for better management of QRs in agile software development. We use Situational Method Engineering to identify, complement and classify a portfolio of best practices for QR management in agile environments. In this regards, we present the methodological approach that we are applying for the definition of these guidelines and the requirements that will lead us to compile a portfolio of agile QR management best practices. The proposed requirements correspond to the whole software life cycle starting in the elicitation and finalizing in the deployment phases.

A Qualitative Study on Non-Functional Requirements in Agile Software Development

“…Sources In "sprint zero", resulting in definition of the overall software architecture [65] During initial stages of development process [60], [66] During initial iteration of the project (high level NFRs), followed in further iterations (NFRs refined to more detailed form) [67]- [69] During each iteration [16], [22], [24], [70], [71] After FRs are defined [22] In late stages of the project (causing rework) [6], [24], [25] 120 minutes. While only some interviewees agreed to be recorded, all answers were written down using a predefined template.…”

“…Sources User stories [25], [57], [66], [74], [78] User stories with acceptance tests [79], [80] Constraints within user stories [25], [ [19], [20], [70], [72] Textual quantified descriptions [74] Traceability matrices (quality attributes vs. FRs) [76], [83] Agile Loose Cases [75] Wiki pages [57] Instances of requirements templates dedicated to particular categories of NFRs [16], [17] NFR Framework (Goal Oriented Requirements Engineering notation) models [20], [75] stemming from such a consideration is that, despite using the agile approach to software development, this approach is hardly the only method followed by the team, department or organization as a whole. Some interviewees explicitly stated that they use a hybrid approach (integrating agile and plan-driven practices), others claimed that they use a specific agile method (most often Scrum), but at the same time, at the management level, some other method is applied (e.g.…”

A Situational Approach for the Definition and Tailoring of a Data-Driven Software Evolution Method

“…It is worth mentioning that the answer to RQ4 is a methodological contribution beyond the application to the SUPERSEDE method. It represents an evolution to recent SME works that we have undertaken [21] [22] given the inclusion of context criteria as part of the method requirements. The full development of the formalization just outlined in this paper, as for instance the applicability of previously proposed context goal modelling approaches that support contextual annotations, e.g.…”