Evaluating the effectiveness of a goal-oriented requirements engineering method

Abstract

As an attempt to answer the need for methods and tools in requirements engineering (RE) which are domain specific and can address the main RE objectives (REOs), and the growing interest in the goal oriented requirements engineering (GORE) approach that overcomes the inadequacy of the traditional systems analysis approaches, we systematically evaluate the KAOS method, and the Objectiver tool, using the major REOs widely accepted as being important attributes of requirements specifications. In addition, we examine whether KAOS and Objectiver meet their own self-defined objectives. We use two target problems as a basis for the evaluation. The result of the target problems is raw data consisting of error reports and observations that support the evaluator's judgment. The evaluation itself is qualitative, not a statistical experimental evaluation. Its result will help to answer the research questions: (i) How well do KAOS and Objectiver meet the criteria established in the discipline of RE; and (ii) How well do KAOS and Objectiver achieve their own self-defined objectives. © 2006 IEEE.