READS: a requirements engineering tool

A hypertext system, READS, designed to support the key requirements engineering activities of requirements discovery, analysis, decomposition, allocation, traceability and reporting is discussed. READS facilitates the construction, browsing, and maintenance of a typed hypertext network mapped onto a high-speed relational database server through a user interface designed specifically for the system engineer. READS is an integral part of an evolving Paramax system development environment whose goals include the specification of a requirements engineering process and the tool suite necessary to support it. An interface between READS and software using pictures has been developed to test this concept, and it is in active use in many Paramax programs.<<ETX>>