Profile-Oriented Assessment of Software Requirements Quality: Models, Metrics, Case Study

Abstract

The article is devoted to profile-oriented approach to assessing the software requirements profile quality. The process of assessment is implemented in accordance with software requirements profile quality model for external quality of software requirements profile and internal quality of software requirements profile. For assessment of quality of each element of such model (characteristics and attributes of software requirements and their classification features; characteristics and attributes of software requirements profile and their classification features; structure of software requirements profile; semantics and syntax of software requirements) taxonomy of metrics and indicators are introduced, which is a part of software requirements profile quality assessment model. All metrics are divided into qualitative and quantitative groups. Additive convolution method is used to go from the multi-vector values of set of connected indicators or metrics to the single scalar value. Received values of metrics and indicators are visualized by radial-metrics diagrams. An example is discussed, which represents the assessment of external quality of software requirements profile for requirements profile from new standard “Requirements to computer security of NPP Instrumentation and Control Systems (NPP I&C)” developed by Ukrainian state regulatory body.