Empirical Evaluation of a Universal Requirements Engineering Process Maturity Model

• Main Author: Nguyen, Mai
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Sektionen för datavetenskap och kommunikation 2010
• Subjects: requirements engineering; process evaluation; empirical; Software Engineering; Programvaruteknik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-4011

Context. Software products are usually developed for either a specific customer (bespoke) or a broader market (market-driven). Due to their characteristics, bespoke and market-driven development face different problems, especially in the requirements engineering areas. Moreover, many of these problems are caused by an inadequate requirements engineering process. Hence, in order to improve the process and subsequently the software quality, the maturity of the RE process must be evaluated. Although there are many process assessment initiatives done in bespoke development, there is a need for models covering both approaches. Uni-REPM, which can assess the RE process maturity in all environments, is such a model. Objectives. This study presents an academic and industrial evaluation of the Uni-REPM model before transferring it to industry. Methods. The first validation was conducted in the form of interviews with seven academic experts in which the model was scrutinized for its correctness and completeness. Subsequently, the model and the assessment method were applied and validated in 4 industrial organizations locating in Denmark, Spain and Singapore. Results. Based on the feedback obtained in the validation, refinements were made to the model to improve its quality. In addition, the evaluation result analysis of each industrial project is useful in indentifying weak areas in the process and suggesting possible improvement practices. Conclusions. The study shows that Uni-REPM is a quick, simple and cost-effective solution to assess the maturity level of the Requirements Engineering process of projects. Moreover, the assessment method using checklist is highly usable and applicable in various international development environments.