Conceptual Design Model based Requirements Analysis in the WinWin Framework for Concurrent Requirements Engineering1

The WinWin framework provides a domain independent framework for the stakeholders to collaborate and negotiate in the requirements engineering phase of the software lifecycle. Requirements engineering in the framework leads to defining a win-win requirements model expressed using a set of conceptual elements that record stakeholder’s objectives, constraints, concerns and negotiated agreements. A major problem confronted in the current WinWin framework is win-win requirements model analysis that lead to mapping the win-win requirements model which is primarily problem oriented to a solution-oriented requirements specification model that aids in win condition analysis and consequently negotiation. This paper presents a constructive and goal-directed modeling approach to aid in win-win requirements model analysis. The approach involves concurrently elaborating a high-level conceptual design model along with the win-win model creation. The design model representation makes explicit partially specified constraints that form the conceptual architectural basis of the win-win requirements model and aids in win-win requirements model analysis. In this paper we present the key ideas of our approach: a) defining a domain-independent ontology for conceptual modeling of high-level design and its relationship with the WinWin model b) win-win artifact based representation of analysis goals and an abstract domain independent theory that encapsulate the conditions for satisfying the goals, and c) defining capabilities of an extended WinWin support system that to aid in analysis. 1.This research is sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) through Rome Laboratory under contract F30602-94-C-0195 and by the Industrial Affiliates of the Center for Software Engineering.