Computer-Assisted Analysis and Refinement of Informal Software Requirements Documents

This paper describes RARE (Reuse-Assisted Requirements Elicitation), a method enabling software requirements engineers to process informal software requirements effectively. RARE’s object is to assist analysts in transforming requirements expressed in natural language into a comprehensive collection of rigorous specifications that can be used as a starting point in software development. However, unlike other approaches to managing requirements documents, RARE focuses on the application of reuse-intensive methods of dealing with requirements documents, their contents and structure, and the processes involved in the analysis and refinement of requirements texts. The RARE method circumscribes an iterative process of planning, gathering and elaboration, analysis, refinement, adaptation, integration and validation of requirements texts. The paper also describes the operation of IDIOM (Informal Document Interpreter, Organiser and Manager), a requirements management tool that supports the RARE method.