Integrating the understanding of quality in requirements specification and conceptual modeling

Abstract

The notion of quality of information system models and other conceptual models is not well understood. However, recent quality frameworks have tried to take a more systematic approach. We have earlier developed a framework for understanding and assessing the quality of models in general, with emphasis on models made in conceptual modeling languages. At the same time, there is a long tradition on discussing quality of more specialized models, e.g. in the form of requirements specifications. Several authors have created taxonomies of useful properties of models and requirements specifications, the most comprehensive overview being presented by Alan Davis.We have in this paper extended our quality framework for models based on the work by Davis on quality in requirement specifications, looking upon a requirements specification as a specific type of model. Comparing the approaches we find on the one hand that the properties as summarized by Davis are subsumed by our framework on a high level, and that there are aspects within our framework that are not covered by Davis. On the other hand, the comparison has resulted in a useful extension and deepening of our framework on this specific kind of model, and in this way improved the practical applicability of our framework when applied to discussing the quality of requirements specifications.