The Bad Conscience of Requirements Engineering : An Investigation in Real-World Treatment of Non-Functional Requirements

Abstract

Even though non-functional requirements (NFRs) are critical in order to provide software of good quality, the literature of NFRs is relatively sparse. We describe how NFRs are treated in two development organizations, an Ericsson application center and the IT department of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. We have interviewed professionals about problems they face and their ideas on how to improve the situation. Both organizations are aware of NFRs and related problems but their main focus is on functional requirements,primarily because existing methods focus on these. The most tangible problems experienced are that many NFRs remain undiscovered and that NFRs are stated in non-measurable terms. It became clear that the size andstructure of the organization require proper distribution of employees’ interest, authority and competence of NFRs. We argue that a feasible solution might be to strengthen the position of architectural requirements, which are more likely to emphasize NFRs.