Software Requirements Engineering  Assignment 2

ECE 321: Software Requirements Engineering 
Assignment 2 (individual work; 10 pts total)
1. (5 pts total) Write a 1.5 page combined review of the following two articles: [1] “Requirements
and Psychology” by Chris Rupp, and [2] “The Syntactically Dangerous All and Plural in
Specifications” by Daniel Berry and Erik Kamsties. Your review should consist of three parts:
1. (1 pt) Description of main contributions of each of the two papers (one paragraph). You
must include a brief description of each paper, and an outline of similarities and differences
between these two papers.
2. (1 pt) Presentation of your criticisms of these papers, including your opinions and insights
about the ideas presented by the authors (one paragraph).
3. Answers to the following four questions:
1. (0.75 pt) Explain, in your own words, the difference between the term “generalization”
defined in [1] and “all and plural” described in [2]. Give an example requirement
statement (one sentence) for each of the two phenomena (indicate which sentence
corresponds to which phenomena), briefly explain what is ambiguous about this
sentence, and make sure that the examples highlight the differences that you explained
in the first part of your answer. Do not use examples from the articles. Use up to 6
sentences for the answer.
2. (0.75 pt) Based on the author’s discussion in paper [2], explain when we should use all
vs. each. Give an illustrative example that would highlight the difference. Use up to 4
sentences for the answer.
3. (0.75 pt) Provide an example requirement statement that includes problems related to all
three defects listed in [1], i.e., deletion, generalization, and distortion. Briefly explain
how these three defects are implemented in your example. Use up to 4 sentences for the
answer.
4. (0.75 pt) Do you agree with the author of [1] who suggests that distortion “often appears
in domains with an extensive technical language”? Explain your point of view. Give an
example requirement statement that includes a distortion and uses technical language.
Explain why this is a distortion. Use up to 4 sentences for the answer.
4. (5 pts total) Write a 1 page review of the “Understanding the Customer: What Do We Know
about Requirements Elicitation?” article by Oscar Dieste, Natalia Juristo, and Forrest Shull.
Your review should consist of three parts:
1. (1 pt) Description of main contributions of this paper (one paragraph)
2. (1 pt) Presentation of your criticisms of this paper, including your opinions and insights
about the ideas presented by the authors (one paragraph)
3. Answers to the following three questions:
1. (1 pt) List the “contrived techniques” that are mentioned by the authors (note that
they are mentioned in multiple places in the paper). Is card sorting a contrived
technique? Briefly explain how the author defines the card sorting. Use up to 4
sentences for the answer.
2. (1 pt) According to the authors, is it true that unstructured interviews are preferred
than the structured interviews? What is the main benefit, which was mentioned by
the authors, of using a structured interview? Use up to 3 sentences for the answer.
3. (1 pt) According to the authors, what is the main technique for elicitation of
requirements? Can the contrived techniques be used during an interview? Use up to
2 sentences for the answer.
NOTES
- Use a separate, clearly marked paragraph for each of the three parts of each review;
number your answers to the questions.
- Please observe the limits on the length of the answers.
- Note that in the second part we ask for your personal criticism. This section must have
substance.
Due Dates and Notes
Your assignment must be received by 11:00 am MST, October 11 (Thursday), 2018.
Your review should be written single-spaced, using 12 font size, and with standard margins.
Only hard copies will be accepted at the beginning of the class; refer to lecture 1.