Requirements Modeling

Referent:
James Robertson

This seminar will show you:
• How to use requirements models to prove the required functionality
• How to elicit requirements using models
• How to add rigor to your requirements
• How to use understand your customer’s requirements using models

Business Requirements modeling and you
Requirements models are used when gathering requirements, and during systems analysis. Whether you consider eliciting requirements to be a separate activity, or a part of systems analysis, the importance of correct requirements must be a high priority for you. Building accurate models means that you can guarantee the correctness of your requirements.
All engineering disciplines use models to develop the products they intend to build. In our industry we use requirements models to discover and clarify the functional and data requirements for software and business systems. Additionally, the models are used as specifications for the designers and builders of the system.

What a system is and what does a system do
You can describe a system by what it is, and by what it does. For an example of what it does, consider this typical statement from a requirements specification: "The product must calculate the cheapest fare". Beyond this innocent description of what the system must do, lies a significant set of rules, procedures, data and functions. It is the task of requirements modeling to discover the rules for calculating the cheapest fare, the algorithms needed, and the data needed to support those calculations. In this way the requirements models describe what the system is.
You also use models when eliciting requirements. A quickly sketched data flow model is an indispensable aid during interviews. A data model reveals the policy of the system. Thus a data model constructed with your customer quickly reveals any gaps in the policy. A state model can explain how a system behaves, and thus clarifies for a potential user the consequence of the requirements.
This seminar shows you how to use the requirements models to elicit requirements, and how to prove the correctness of those requirements. Workshops during the seminar give you the practical skills to put these models to work for you right away.
This seminar is a companion to Mastering the Requirements Process. It teaches you the various models available to the modern requirements engineer and systems analyst. It gives you the tools to improve your skills, and to improve the way you build your systems specifications.

Is this for me?
By bridging the gap between the requirements gathering and systems analysis, this seminar brings you an intensive tour of the available requirements models, and most importantly, how you can make the best use of use them.
You should attend if you are a:
• Business analyst
• Requirements engineer
• Systems analyst
• Systems manager
• Project leader
• Consultant

What will I learn in two days?
Requirements Models
This introduces the craft of modeling requirements. We look at how models can be used when dealing with the client, and how to prove the correctness of the functionality and data once the requirements are known.
The Context
To get the right scope for the product, start with the work where the product is to be deployed. The context model shows the work area and how it relates to the adjacent systems. From this you determine the scope of the product you intend to build.
Business Event Partitioning
How to use business events – important happenings in the outside world – to break the work into manageable and convenient pieces. These pieces later become the product’s use cases.
Process Modeling
Discovering the (sometimes hidden) functionality of the system by modeling it. We look at how viewpoints are used to show different aspects of the system, and how the essence reveals the true system.
Data Modeling
By understanding what a system remembers, we understand what it does. This section introduces the idea of modeling the stored data, and shows the strong affinity between the process and the data.
State Models
State models are used when the system under study is best revealed by looking at its behavior. State models show the steady states that a system has, and how business events cause a transition between those states.
Modeling the Product
This goes beyond the requirements to look at how the product is derived from the functionality and data of the work, and how UML models are used to shape the product to be built.

Learn through practice
This seminar includes frequent exercises and opportunities to apply the illustrated techniques. Work with the instructor to build models and discover the real needs of the business. Also learn to evaluate when each of the models is useful, and what degree of detail is necessary.

Speaker Bios

Suzanne Robertson is co-author of the books: Complete Systems Analysis, Mastering the Requirements Process and Requirements-Led Project Management.  She is also co-author of the Volere approach to requirements engineering.

She has more than 30 years experience in systems specification and building. Her courses on requirements, systems analysis, design and problem solving are well known for their innovative workshops and practical applicability. Current work includes research and consulting on finding and involving the right stakeholders, the building of requirements knowledge models and running audits for assessing requirements specifications. She is a principal and founder of The Atlantic Systems Guild and is editor of the Requirements column in IEEE Software magazine.

James Robertson is a consultant, teacher, author, project leader whose area of concern is the requirements for products, and the contribution that good requirements make to successful projects.

Before becoming a systems engineer, James trained as an architect and his experience in that profession provides inspiration for his work on innovation creativity, and the graphical representation of systems.  He is co-author of the books: Complete Systems Analysis, Mastering the Requirements Process and Requirements-Led Project Management. and the Volere approach to requirements engineering. He is also a principal and founder of The Atlantic Systems Guild, a think tank known for its research into new systems engineering techniques.