Natural language processing for Requirements Engineering

1. www.visuresolutions.com
Requirements
Visure Quality Analyzer uses a metrics-based model for measuring and
improving the quality of the Requirement Specifications. These metrics
include both textual and non-textual measurements for the individual
Natural language processing requirements and for the complete specification.
for Requirements Engineering
“Right the first time“
The effort required to correct an error introduced
in the requirements phase grows exponentially
throughout the lifecycle.
However, mistakes are still being introduced
while writing requirement specifications, from
ambiguous and unverifiable terms to
over-specified, inconsistent, or overlapping
specifications, forcing project managers to
reassess specifications again and again. Image 1. Result of individual requirement semantic analysis, highlighting low quality aspects.
A tool to help write
better requirements
The Visure Quality Analyzer aids quality
assessment and improvement, allowing you
to define, measure, improve, and manage
the quality of individual requirements, as well
as complete requirement specifications. Image 2. Specification overlap analysis result, highlighting elements with similarities.
This assessment is based on the evaluation
of quality metrics over individual requirements
Flexible customization
descriptions. Visure Quality Analyzer is preconfigured to be used out-of-the-box in
all domains, but metrics can also be configured to fully support domain
representations, including domain-specific language inolving terms,
Benefits verbs and abbreviations.
Additionally, quality metrics can be tailored to each specific step of the
lifecycle, raising different low quality issues depending on the level of the
Quality Assurance requirements (customer, system, component, or any other).
Visure Quality Analyzer allows you to
Quality User
verify the quality of the requirements and
requirements
the specifications within the organization,
introducing specific quality policies and
checking the evolution.
20 200 Text length
in characters
Project Manager System
Visure Quality Analyzer prevents errors Quality requirements
from being introduced in each phase of
the requirements lifecycle, alerting you
to low quality work, tailoring the required
30 400 Text length
in characters
quality to the project needs and the
teams involved. Component
requirements
Quality
System Engineer/Business Analyst
Visure Quality Analyzer helps you write
better requirements by highlighting 30 400 Text length
in characters
incorrect terms, verbs, structures,
Image 3. Quality metrics may be configured to each different element type, establishing
and finding inconsistencies and appropriate criteria for the level of detail.
contradictions with other requirements.
2012 Visure Solutions, S.L. Visure Quality Analyzer is a registered brand of Visure Solutions,S.L.

2. Role-based
Visure Quality Analyzer supports
Visure Quality Analyzer
multiple configurable roles:
QA Team (defines the
reference quality policies)
Defines a set of quality
functions for every metric
Defines the quality ranges
(values) for every metric
Defines the default assignments
of active metrics to engineer
profiles
Project Managers
Define the particular assignments
of active metrics for particular
projects
Define their own quality results
to measure (graphs)
Image 4. Results of the complete quality analysis may be evaluated to define actions to improve.
Analyst
Generates a numerical value
for every requirement and Metric list
every metric
Defines every metric as high, Specification metrics
medium or low quality, using a
set of quality functions Inconsistent units The use of dissimilar units in different requirements (e.g. meters and
inches, pounds and kilograms, Celsius and Fahrenheit) is checked and
Generates an aggregated notified
quality value for every requi-
Overlapping matrix Measure the possibility to include similar or overlapping requirements
rement in the same or different projects
Individual requirements metrics
Size Expressed in paragraphs, characters, nouns, or verbs. Long
requirements will be difficult to understand
Readability Analyzed using number of letters between punctuation marks and
other formulas that indicate whether the requirement will be easy to
read. Easy to read requirements generate fewer problems throughout
the project
Conditional sentences Avoid the use of would, and support the correct use of shall, should,
vs. imperative sentences and will
Optional sentences Maybe… Optional requirements must be stated by an attribute, never in
the body of the requirement
Ambiguous sentences Fast, user-friendly… What do the analyst, the coder and the customer
understand by the same ambiguous sentence
Subjective sentences In my opinion, I think that… Avoid ideas and focus on but what the
system should do
Implicit sentences It must be provided by them… Too many pronouns make requirements
difficult to understand
Abuse of connectors And, or... Connectors can be a warning of different needs enclosed
within the same requirement, losing the autonomous characteristic
Negations No, never… Two or more negatives in the same sentence make
it difficult to understand
Speculative sentences Usually, almost always… Tentative terms make the requirement
imprecise
Design terms Loop, hash… Avoid how; concentrate on what
Flow terms While, if, else… Avoid How, concentrate on What
Number of domain nouns While domain terms and verbs should be involved in the requirement
and verbs specification, too many different terms in the same
Contact requirement may be a warning of multiple needs
Acronyms Avoid those that don’t belong to the domain representation
Visure Solutions Headquarters
Hierarchical levels Don’t complicate your specification with too many indentation levels
Avda. de los Labradores, 1
Tres Cantos, Madrid 28760 Volatility Be very careful with requirements that undergo many changes
+34 91 806 17 13
Number of dependences Be very careful with requirements that are the source of many
info@visuresolutions.com dependencies
www.visuresolutions.com 2012 Visure Solutions, S.L. Visure Quality Analyzer is a registered brand of Visure Solutions,S.L.