Evaluating the Usefulness of Requirement Error Taxonomy as a Defect Prevention Technique: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Defect prevention techniques can be used during the creation of software artifacts to help developers create high-quality artifacts. The Requirement Error Taxonomy developed by Walia et al. [22, 23] helps focus developer’s attention on common errors that can occur during requirements engineering. This paper investigates the usefulness of the Requirement Error Taxonomy as a defect prevention technique. The goal was to determine if making requirements engineers’ familiar with the Requirement Error Taxonomy would reduce the likelihood that they commit errors while developing a requirements document. We conducted an empirical study in which the participants used the Requirement Error Taxonomy during inspection of a requirements document. Then, in teams, they developed their own requirements document which was evaluated by other students. The hypothesis was that participants who find more errors during the inspection of a requirements document would make fewer errors when creating their own requirements document. The overall result supports this hypothesis.