Design Requirements in Software and Engineering Systems

The subject of "Design Requirements" (DR) is central to the design of software and engineering systems. The main reason for this is that quality aspects are usually closely tied to requirements, among other things. In this review paper, we consider how the subject of requirements is being managed in these two seemingly different design disciplines. Two important aspects are covered, namely: (a) requirements development, describing various activities leading to requirements documentation, and (b) requirements change management, describing various activities needed for the proper treatment of the inevitable changes in requirements. Similarities and differences on how these two aspects are handled in software and engineering systems are highlighted. It is concluded from this literature survey that the management of software requirements is quite coherent and well established as a science. On the other hand, management of engineering systems requirements suffer from being unstructured, in particular when requirements changes are involved. Important gaps and future important research areas are identified.