An approach for using procedure manuals as a source for Requirements Elicitation

Abstract

Requirements Elicitation (RE) is a complex process that involves seeking, uncovering, capturing, and elaborating requirements in the software development process. Background Reading (BR) is a scarcely used technique for capturing software requirements. BR is an analytical method which uses existing documents as a source for RE. Although the usage of technical documentation as a source for the requirements elicitation process is accepted, discussed, or even listed by several authors, they establish neither specific techniques nor detailed instructions for applying BR. In this sense, we propose a method as an initial approach for using the BR technique in the context of the RE process. In this method we describe how an analyst uses a document as a source for the requirements elicitation process, by extracting domain knowledge and business information. The proposal is based on a specific type of technical document (procedure manual), which is structured in a formal language.