Article (Scientific journals)
On Systematically Building a Controlled Natural Language for Functional Requirements
VEIZAGA CAMPERO, Alvaro Mario; ALFEREZ, Mauricio; TORRE, Damiano et al.
2021In Empirical Software Engineering, 26 (4), p. 79
Peer reviewed
 

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Keywords :
Natural Language Requirements; Functional Requirements; Controlled Natural Language; Qualitative Study; Case Study Research
Abstract :
[en] [Context] Natural language (NL) is pervasive in software requirements specifications (SRSs). However, despite its popularity and widespread use, NL is highly prone to quality issues such as vagueness, ambiguity, and incompleteness. Controlled natural languages (CNLs) have been proposed as a way to prevent quality problems in requirements documents, while maintaining the flexibility to write and communicate requirements in an intuitive and universally understood manner. [Objective] In collaboration with an industrial partner from the financial domain, we systematically develop and evaluate a CNL, named Rimay, intended at helping analysts write functional requirements. [Method] We rely on Grounded Theory for building Rimay and follow well-known guidelines for conducting and reporting industrial case study research. [Results] Our main contributions are: (1) a qualitative methodology to systematically define a CNL for functional requirements; this methodology is intended to be general for use across information-system domains, (2) a CNL grammar to represent functional requirements; this grammar is derived from our experience in the financial domain, but should be applicable, possibly with adaptations, to other information-system domains, and (3) an empirical evaluation of our CNL (Rimay) through an industrial case study. Our contributions draw on 15 representative SRSs, collectively containing 3215 NL requirements statements from the financial domain. [Conclusion] Our evaluation shows that Rimay is expressive enough to capture, on average, 88% (405 out of 460) of the NL requirements statements in four previously unseen SRSs from the financial domain.
Research center :
Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) > Software Verification and Validation Lab (SVV Lab)
Disciplines :
Computer science
Author, co-author :
VEIZAGA CAMPERO, Alvaro Mario ;  University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > SVV
ALFEREZ, Mauricio ;  University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > SVV
TORRE, Damiano ;  University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > SVV
SABETZADEH, Mehrdad ;  University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > SVV ; University of Ottawa, Canada > School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
BRIAND, Lionel ;  University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > SVV ; University of Ottawa, Canada > School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
On Systematically Building a Controlled Natural Language for Functional Requirements
Publication date :
July 2021
Journal title :
Empirical Software Engineering
Publisher :
Springer
Volume :
26
Issue :
4
Pages :
79
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
FnR Project :
FNR13234469 - Improved Model-based Requirements For Financial Applications, 2018 (01/01/2019-31/12/2021) - Lionel Briand
Funders :
Clearstream; Escent; Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg; NSERC
Available on ORBilu :
since 27 February 2021

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