Interactive goal model analysis applied - Systematic procedures versus ad hoc analysis

Abstract

Intentional modeling, capturing the goals of stakeholders, has been proposed as a means of early system elicitation and design for an enterprise, focusing on social and strategic requirements. It is often assumed that more utility can be gained from goal models by applying explicit analysis over models, but little work has been devoted to understand how or why this occurs. In this work we test existing hypotheses concerning interactive goal model analysis via multiple case studies. Previous results have indicated that such analysis increases model iteration, prompts further elicitation, and improves domain knowledge. Results of the new studies do not provide strong evidence to support these claims, showing that such benefits, when they occur, can occur both with systematic and ad-hoc model analysis. However, the results reveal other benefits of systematic analysis, such as a more consistent interpretation of the model, more complete analysis, and the importance of training. © 2010 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.