Home // International Journal On Advances in Intelligent Systems, volume 6, numbers 1 and 2, 2013 // View article

Reducing Requirements Defect Density by Using Mentoring to Supplement Training

Authors:
John Terzakis

Keywords: requirements specification; requirements defects; requirements defect density; training; mentoring; multi-generational software products

Abstract:
In a previous short paper [1], data demonstrating that using mentoring to supplement training had a significant impact on reducing requirement defect density levels from initial to final versions of requirements specifications for a software product was presented. This paper provides additional details of the initial training, mentoring and review methods delivered by the requirements Subject Matter Expert (SME). In addition, data from a third generation of the requirements specification is now available, which supplements the existing defect data from the earlier two generations. Requirements authors typically receive little formal university training in writing requirements. Yet, they are expected to write requirements that will become the foundation for most future product development. Defects introduced during the requirements phase of a project impact multiple downstream work products and, ultimately, product defect and quality levels. Many companies, including Intel Corporation, have recognized this skills gap and have created requirements training classes to address this issue. While effective in providing the fundamentals of good requirements writing, much of this knowledge can be misapplied or lost without proper mentoring from an experienced requirements SME. Our experience over the last decade at Intel has found that adding SME peer mentoring improves both the rate and depth of proper application of the training, and improves requirements defect density more than training alone. The data from case studies across three generations of a software product will expose the issues with training alone and the benefits of combining training with SME mentoring in order to reduce requirements defect density levels. All three generations of requirements specifications achieved at least a 90% reduction in requirements defect density from initial to final releases.

Pages: 102 to 111

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2013. Used with permission.

Publication date: June 30, 2013

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2679