Requirements-Based Design Guidance: A Process-Centered Consistency Management Approach

In previous work, we have argued that constraints on the relationships between requirements elements and design elements can be used to guide designers in making design decisions. We have also argued the importance of controlling which constraints to apply, when to apply them, and what responses to take on constraint failure in order to make this guidance effective. Our suggestion, to control the application of constraints with a formalized, executable process program, offers the benefit of not applying all constraints at all times and therefore not overwhelming designers with input, most of which is not applicable at all times. Rather, our approach offers the possibility of identifying and exploiting the most appropriate constraints at the most opportune