Creativity and creativity techniques are relevant for requirements elicitation. There are many different creativity techniques, but these techniques are not used as widely as expected. To investigate the reasons for this situation, we assumed the viewpoint of a requirements engineer looking for decision-making guidelines to facilitate the choice among the considerable number of available creativity techniques. The results of the search highlighted the gap between existing information and what is needed. To this end, we propose a logical framework based on two matrices for choosing creativity techniques and methods in view of their application in requirements elicitation.

1. Choosing a Creativity Technique for
Requirements Elicitation
Luisa Mich
Creare 2021 - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering

2. Schema q The creativity paradox
q Questions and one sub-question
q Classifying creativity
techniques: Parameters and
matrices
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

3. The trigger q A technical report:
C. Anesi, L. Mich, M. Franch,
Creatività in azienda: metodi e
tecniche per sviluppare la creatività
(In Italian), Quaderni DISA,
University of Trento, I, 84, 2004
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266197494_Creativita_in_azienda_
metodi_e_tecniche_per_sviluppare_la_creativita (online 2017)

4. The
paradox:
Creativity
in RE
q Creativity plays an important
role in requirements elicitation
(RE)
q Companies do not apply
creativity techniques and tools
for RE (brainstorming is used in
less than 50% of the projects;
other creativity techniques
altogether are used even less)
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

5. Questions q Why do companies not apply
creativity techniques in their
RE activities?
q How can we promote creativity
techniques in RE?
Answering these questions
requires systematic investigations
and surveys
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

6. A first step
towards the
answer
q As a first contribution we
propose to address the
following sub-question:
If a requirements engineer wants
to adopt a creativity technique
for RE activities, are there
recommendations or guidelines
to support the choice among the
different possibilities?
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

7. Searching
in the
literature
q Books and handbooks focusing
on the origin and the factors of
creativity, on creativity as a
driver for innovation in
companies, some listing a
number of creativity
techniques (up to 100!)
q As for requirements
engineering activities, many
papers illustrate a specific
creativity technique. Surveys or
review papers do not take a
company’s perspective
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

8. Other
sources
q Requirements engineering
textbooks and professional
books describe and suggest a
limited number of existing
creativity techniques from the
plethora of possibilities, or just
one, usually brainstorming
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

9. Choosing a
creativity
technique
q First it is necessary to
recognize the need for
creativity
q Then you have to “choose”
one:
a decision-making step
q Choosing among the large
number of existing creativity
techniques is challenging!
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

10. A
framework
to describe
creativity
techniques
q One of the reasons why
creativity techniques are not a
common practice in RE may be
that available information is
not adequate for choosing
between different techniques
q Classifications support
problem-solving approaches
and rational decisions
q The ultimate goal is to design a
knowledge-based decision
support system
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

11. A first
criterion
q Check if a given creativity
technique also suggests a
process -> method: to
understand how the RE process
has to be adapted to adopt a
given creativity technique:
q A classical process for a
creativity method includes 4
steps: Preparation, Incubation,
Illumination, Verification
q Creativity techniques usually
focus on the Illumination step
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

12. Another
(common)
criterion
q Group vs. individual
techniques:
Many techniques have been
designed for group session use,
while others have been
introduced for individual
application. But individual
techniques can be applied also
in group-work and vice-versa
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

13. Other
information
q Main advantages and
disadvantages
q An effective and succinct
description
q References to scientific
papers, documents and
websites, useful for finding
more information
q Contacts e.g. for research
groups that defined the
technique, or experts in its
application
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

14. First matrix to describe creativity
techniques for RE
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)
Name Process Group vs
Individual
Advantages Disadvantages Sources
Brainstorming yes both Well known
High number
of new ideas
Disregarded
principles
[25]
[brainstorming.co.uk]
Creative
pauses
no no Simple to
apply
Unstructured [30]
Six thinking
hats
yes yes Force to
consider
different
moods and
viewpoints
Requires high
abstraction skills
[debono.com]
[25] available in 5
languages
(...)

15. Compare
with
another
approach
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)
https://becreative.city.ac.uk

16. Defining a
set of
candidate
techniques
q The first matrix is for a
knowledge base to support the
selection of a subset of
candidate techniques to be
compared in a candidate
techniques matrix
q The second matrix includes
parameters suggested by
project management and
requirements engineering good
practices
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

17. Success
factors and
feasibility
q Costs: direct and indirect
(economic feasibility)
q Time (scheduling feasibility)
q Performance, expertise-
knowledge (operational
feasibility)
q Tools (technological
feasibility)
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

18. Candidate creativity techniques matrix
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)
A B C
Costs High Medium Low
Documentation Also in Italian Only in English Only offline
Domain Similar Finance only
Equipment Available
Facilitator Yes
Learning curve Medium
Maturity Medium
Popularity Low
Steps Illumination All
Tool No Yes No
Is there adequate material for the creativity technique, content, languages
To apply the creativity technique in running the RE session
Need to adapt the technique
Need furniture or spaces or instruments
To guide the RE session
Training required to apply the technique
To evaluate the risk
Relevant for the acceptance of the technique
Activity supported by the candidate techniques
To support the application of the technique

19. Using the
matrix
q Different measures and
indicators:
• Boolean: to specify if a candidate
technique satisfy the attributes
• Likert scale: to give a score to
each attribute in a defined range
• Textual description, e.g. a list of
the equipment, the name of the
available tools , types of projects
where a candidate technique has
been applied, etc.
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

20. The
framework
q Based on two matrices,
describes available – although
often unknown – creativity
techniques and methods, to
promote their adoption in RE
• The parameters in the matrices
have been advocated by project
management good practices and
reflect a practical approach
• The two matrices have to be
validated and refined
• The first one should cover as many
techniques as possible
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)

21. Conclusion q The framework:
• Constitutes the conceptual core
of a creativity techniques
knowledge base, to design and
implement a knowledge-based
decision support system
q The KBDSS has to be designed:
• To effectively exploit the
information in the two matrices
• To allow a requirements analyst to
adapt them to satisfy a company’s
customization and selection
process requirements
LUISA MICH - 10th International Workshop on Creativity in Requirements Engineering (Creare 2021)