Organising knowledge transfer in requirements engineering over organisational interfaces

Effective and efficient knowledge transfer in the requirements engineering process is crucial for successful product development. However, transferring requirements is very challenging since the requirements themselves are not always directly tangible and knowledge about them is mostly tacit. The problem increases when a company uses suppliers, and the requirements need to be transferred over organisational interfaces. This paper aims to create practical solutions for overcoming the challenges of knowledge transfer practices in the requirement engineering process across organisational boundaries. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach through a literature analysis and a case study. According to the findings, the means for overcoming the challenges and guidance for improving transfer practices have been developed. Companies may use these means for overcoming knowledge transfer challenges in requirements engineering over organisational interfaces.

[1]  Otthein Herzog,et al.  SLAN-4-A software specification and design language , 1980, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering.

[2]  Robert D. Macredie,et al.  Effective Communication in Requirements Elicitation: A Comparison of Methodologies , 2002, Requirements Engineering.

[3]  Daniela Damian,et al.  An industrial experience in process improvement: an early assessment at the Australian Center for Unisys Software , 2002, Proceedings International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering.

[4]  Ita Richardson,et al.  Global software development and collaboration: barriers and solutions , 2010, INROADS.

[5]  Ian Sommerville,et al.  Requirements Engineering: Processes and Techniques , 1998 .

[6]  Harri Haapasalo,et al.  The Engagement between Knowledge Transfer and Requirements Engineering , 2012 .

[7]  Sasivimol Meeampol,et al.  Interaction Patterns in Collaborative Product Development (CPD) , 2012 .

[8]  Anthony F. Hutchings,et al.  Creating products customers demand , 1995, CACM.

[9]  Sung-Byung Yang,et al.  Inter-organizational Knowledge Transfer in the Buyer-Supplier Relationship: A Buyer's Perspective , 2007, 2007 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS'07).

[10]  Ray Hackney,et al.  Factors impacting knowledge transfer success in information systems outsourcing , 2011, J. Enterp. Inf. Manag..

[11]  Tomi Männistö,et al.  Challenges of requirements engineering — A case study in nuclear energy domain , 2011, 2011 IEEE 19th International Requirements Engineering Conference.

[12]  Lin Ma,et al.  Making Tacit Requirements Explicit , 2009, 2009 Second International Workshop on Managing Requirements Knowledge.

[13]  Ralph R. Young Effective Requirements Practices , 2001 .

[14]  Bill Curtis,et al.  A field study of the software design process for large systems , 1988, CACM.

[15]  Stuart R. Faulk,et al.  Software Requirements: A Tutorial, , 1995 .

[16]  Stephan Jacobs Introducing measurable quality requirements: a case study , 1999, Proceedings IEEE International Symposium on Requirements Engineering (Cat. No.PR00188).

[17]  Lea Hannola,et al.  A group support system process for the definition of software requirements , 2010 .

[18]  Uolevi Nikula,et al.  Introducing basic systematic requirements engineering practices in small organizations with an easy to adopt method , 2004 .

[19]  Jyoti M. Bhat,et al.  Overcoming Requirements Engineering Challenges: Lessons from Offshore Outsourcing , 2006, IEEE Software.

[20]  Jukka Kääriäinen,et al.  Requirements engineering Inventory of technologies , 2003 .

[21]  Suzanne Robertson,et al.  Mastering the Requirements Process , 1999 .

[22]  Kalle Lyytinen,et al.  A framework for identifying software project risks , 1998, CACM.

[23]  Debra Zahay,et al.  Sources, uses, and forms of data in the new product development process , 2004 .

[24]  Tiyun Huang,et al.  The Study on Knowledge Transfer of Software Project Requirements , 2010, 2010 International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science.

[25]  Jeffrey O. Grady System requirements analysis , 1993 .

[26]  Tunç D. Medeni,et al.  TACIT KNOWLEDGE EXTRACTION FOR SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION (SRS): A PROPOSAL OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY DESIGN AND EXECUTION FOR KNOWLEDGE VISUALIZATION , 2011 .

[27]  Bashar Nuseibeh,et al.  Requirements engineering: a roadmap , 2000, ICSE '00.

[28]  Daniela E. Damian,et al.  RE challenges in multi-site software development organisations , 2003, Requirements Engineering.

[29]  Kristin A. Farry,et al.  Customer Centered Products: Creating Successful Products Through Smart Requirements Management (Продукты для клиента: создание успешных продуктов с помощью грамотного управления требованиями) , 2000 .

[30]  Lea Hannola,et al.  The front end of innovation – a group method for the elicitation of software requirements , 2010 .

[31]  Dean Leffingwell,et al.  Managing software requirements: a unified approach , 1999 .

[32]  Hermann Kaindl,et al.  A knowledge management perspective of requirements engineering , 2011, 2011 FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH CHALLENGES IN INFORMATION SCIENCE.

[33]  I. Nonaka,et al.  The Knowledge Creating Company , 2008 .

[34]  Gabriel Szulanski Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm , 1996 .

[35]  Douglas L. MacLachlan,et al.  Disseminative capacity, organizational structure and knowledge transfer , 2010, Expert Syst. Appl..

[36]  Michael Jackson,et al.  Four dark corners of requirements engineering , 1997, TSEM.

[37]  Ahti Salo,et al.  Requirements for Groupware-Supported Requirements Process in New Product Development , 1998, REFSQ.

[38]  Klaus Pohl,et al.  The three dimensions of requirements engineering: a framework and its applications , 1994, Inf. Syst..

[39]  Reijo Sulonen,et al.  Implementing requirements engineering processes throughout organizations: success factors and challenges , 2004, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[40]  M. Polanyi,et al.  Personal Knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy , 1959 .

[41]  Orlena Cara Zena Gotel,et al.  Contribution structures for requirements traceability , 1995 .

[42]  Ian Sommerville,et al.  Viewpoints: principles, problems and a practical approach to requirements engineering , 1997, Ann. Softw. Eng..

[43]  Donald Firesmith,et al.  Specifying Good Requirements , 2003, J. Object Technol..

[44]  L. Argote,et al.  KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: A BASIS FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN FIRMS , 2000 .

[45]  Barry W. Boehm,et al.  Understanding and Controlling Software Costs , 1988, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[46]  Bordin Rassameethes,et al.  Knowledge transfer pattern in collaborative product development , 2012 .

[47]  Shari Lawrence Pfleeger,et al.  Software Quality: The Elusive Target , 1996, IEEE Softw..

[48]  A. Hidalgo,et al.  Cooperation in the knowledge transfer process: evidence from the demand side in Mexico , 2011 .

[49]  Petri Helo,et al.  Time-to-market and concurrent engineering in product development processes , 2011 .

[50]  Satu Parjanen,et al.  Innovation sessions as sources of new ideas , 2012 .

[51]  M. Polanyi Personal Knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy , 1959 .

[52]  K. Goffin,et al.  Managing Lessons Learned and Tacit Knowledge in New Product Development , 2010 .

[53]  S. Krishna,et al.  Requirements engineering: problem domain knowledge capture and the deliberation process support , 1999, Proceedings. Tenth International Workshop on Database and Expert Systems Applications. DEXA 99.

[54]  Andreas Riege,et al.  Actions to overcome knowledge transfer barriers in MNCs , 2007, J. Knowl. Manag..

[55]  Klas Eric Soderquist,et al.  Information Systems in Fast Cycle Development: Identifying User Needs in Integrated Automotive Component Development , 2000 .