Abstract
The complexity and usefulness of large information systems are determined partly by their functionality, i.e., what they do, and partly by global constraints on their accuracy, security, cost, user-friendliness, performance, and the like. Even with the growing interest in developing higher-level models and design paradigms, current technology is inadequate both representationally for expressing such global constraints as formal non-functional requirements and methodologically for utilizing them in generating designs. We propose both a representational and methodological framework for non-functional requirements, focusing on accuracy requirements. With the premise that accuracy is an inherent semantic attribute of information, we take a first step towards establishing a representational basis for accuracy. To guide the design process and justify design decisions, we propose a goal-oriented methodology. In the methodology, accuracy requirements are treated as (potentially conflicting) goals, for which two types of methods are presented: one for decomposing the goals in terms of affected design components, and the other for contributing, either positively or negatively, to goal satisfaction. Non-functional requirements are further investigated for their cooperation and conflicts, which enables the assessment of the quality of overall design. A detailed illustration demonstrates how the framework aids a designer's decision-making process by recommending the types of consultation needed with users in the intended application domain.
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Chung, L. (1991). Representation and utilization of non-functional requirements for information system design. In: Andersen, R., Bubenko, J.A., Sølvberg, A. (eds) Advanced Information Systems Engineering. CAiSE 1991. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 498. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-54059-8_78
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-54059-8_78
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