Requirements Engineering Modeling Techniques

In this post, I will talk about different modeling techniques used in requirements engineering.

Before we talk about modeling techniques, why do we need these techniques? To address this, the essence of requirements engineering is; share understanding. That is, to clarify the set of knowledge shared by all stakeholders (analysis team, UI/UX team, development, test, POC team, end-user).

When complex requests from customers are combined with the complexity of our existing system, we sometimes use modeling techniques to overcome this.

So, which modeling techniques do we benefit from?

1.RACI MATRIX

A visual model where we define roles and responsibilities.

Stakeholders (Stakeholders can be a person/team) and tasks are mapped to the letters R, A, C, and I. So what do these letters mean?

• R : Responsible
• A : Accountable(Executive)
• C : Consultant
• I : Informed

Here Responsible and Accountable are both responsible. To talk about the difference; Responsible is responsible for doing a job. Accountable, on the other hand, means who will be in trouble if the work is not completed on time.

Consultant is the team to be consulted.

Informed refers to the teams to be informed.

Especially in complex projects, preparing this model at the beginning of the project (determining roles and responsibilities) gives us a great advantage.

2.SCORING MATRIX

Also known as A Competitive Comparison Matrix. A model that shows your competitive landscape and where you stand among your competitors.

It is also frequently used in Benchmark studies. We list and score different products or different companies and their features. In the end, each product has a score. According to this score, benchmark studies are completed and POC is started. POC is done for those with the highest score.

When choosing a tool, a library, etc.; this modeling technique is a useful model to compare features and decide which one is a price-performance product.

3.SWOT ANALYSIS

In order to develop a product, we first need to know the product and the market. SWOT analysis is a visual model that gives us the opportunity to know our own product and the market.

It stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Through this model, we clarify our product's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities in the market, and threats in the market.

4.USE CASES

It allows us to see how the actors interact with the system. In this respect, we can say that we think and act like the user.

In another way, it's like an X-ray. It allows us to recognize the system, but it doesn't go as deep as an MRI. It allows us to see the topology without going deep. With this feature, it is often used to promote the system.

5.PROCESS FLOWCHARTS

The model we use to translate a written need into an algorithm.

6.USER STORIES

It is one of the models we frequently use with the widespread use of agile software. It is a model to explain what we aim to do when the user uses software, a product, or a service.

It consists of three parts.

1. Value Statement
2. Acceptance criteria
3. Definition of Done

For example, the user story of sending an automated email one month before the end of the customer's campaign commitment;

User Story: Campaign Commitment End Notification

Value Statement: Sending reminder emails to our customers one month before their campaign commitments expire, allowing them to renew their commitments. This will increase customer loyalty, increase campaign renewal rates, and increase customer satisfaction.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The system updates customer data every day and identifies customers whose campaign commitment will expire.
2. The date of sending the email must be one month before the campaign expiration date.
3. The e-mail should only be sent to customers who have given permission to be contacted.
4. The content of the email must contain clear and understandable information to inform the customer about the campaign expiration date, campaign benefits, and renewal instructions.
5. The sending of the email should be accompanied by an automated process specific to customers. This process should include sending the email in the customer's preferred language, storing it securely in the database, and allowing it to be canceled by the customer.
6. When sending emails, test scenarios should be created to verify that the content of the email is correct and error-free.

To conclude with the words of a Polish thinker, “The map is not the territory.” When we look at the world map model, the closest country to America is Japan, but it is not. Visual models make our work easier, but it is important to remember that they need to be supported by text.

Thanks for reading so far, I hope it was engaging for you.