Requirements specification using templates: a model-driven approach.
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| Title: | Requirements specification using templates: a model-driven approach. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Darif, Ikram1 (AUTHOR) ikram.darif.1@ens.etsmtl.ca, El Boussaidi, Ghizlane1 (AUTHOR) ghizlane.elboussaidi@etsmtl.ca, Kpodjedo, Sègla1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Software & Systems Modeling. Dec2025, Vol. 24 Issue 6, p1897-1934. 38p. |
| Subjects: | Requirements engineering, Model-driven software architecture, Needs assessment, Quality assurance, Natural language processing, Design templates, Conceptual models |
| Abstract: | Requirements specification and verification are crucial processes of software development. These processes are particularly costly for safety critical systems due to the high number of requirements and their complexity. For such systems, it is important to use natural language for the specification, as requirements need to be readable by non-technical stakeholders and certification agents. To mitigate the inherent ambiguity caused by the use of natural language, controlled natural languages (CNL) are introduced as a means to constrain the specification while maintaining readability. In this paper, we leverage model-driven engineering (MDE) to propose RESPECT, REquirements SPECification using Templates, a CNL-based approach for requirements specification and verification. The fundamental idea of RESPECT is to use MDE techniques to: 1) model requirements' templates and thus ease their creation, implementation and evolution and 2) link the template models to existing domain models to support, to some extent, requirements verification and auto-filling. We provide a systematic process for the creation of customizable and reusable templates, which, to the best of our knowledge, represents a novel contribution. The application of this systematic process to a subset of the ARINC-653 standard from the avionics domain, resulted in seven templates that cover various types of requirements. We developed a tool, called MD-RSuT, that supports the specification of requirements using the seven templates created for ARINC-653, and the automated verification and auto-filling of requirements using an ARINC domain model. We evaluated the applicability of the approach across domains, and its effectiveness in improving requirements quality in terms of necessity, unambiguity, completeness, singularity, and verifiability. To do so, we applied the approach on three case studies coming from different domains, namely avionics, automotive, and general purpose software. This evaluation encompasses over a thousand requirements. We also performed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results. The results show that RESPECT is applicable across domains, and it yields requirements with higher quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Software & Systems Modeling is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 189358302 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Requirements specification using templates: a model-driven approach. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Darif%2C+Ikram%22">Darif, Ikram</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ikram.darif.1@ens.etsmtl.ca</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22El Boussaidi%2C+Ghizlane%22">El Boussaidi, Ghizlane</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ghizlane.elboussaidi@etsmtl.ca</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kpodjedo%2C+Sègla%22">Kpodjedo, Sègla</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Software+%26+Systems+Modeling%22">Software & Systems Modeling</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 24 Issue 6, p1897-1934. 38p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Requirements+engineering%22">Requirements engineering</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Model-driven+software+architecture%22">Model-driven software architecture</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Needs+assessment%22">Needs assessment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+assurance%22">Quality assurance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Natural+language+processing%22">Natural language processing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Design+templates%22">Design templates</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Conceptual+models%22">Conceptual models</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Requirements specification and verification are crucial processes of software development. These processes are particularly costly for safety critical systems due to the high number of requirements and their complexity. For such systems, it is important to use natural language for the specification, as requirements need to be readable by non-technical stakeholders and certification agents. To mitigate the inherent ambiguity caused by the use of natural language, controlled natural languages (CNL) are introduced as a means to constrain the specification while maintaining readability. In this paper, we leverage model-driven engineering (MDE) to propose RESPECT, REquirements SPECification using Templates, a CNL-based approach for requirements specification and verification. The fundamental idea of RESPECT is to use MDE techniques to: 1) model requirements' templates and thus ease their creation, implementation and evolution and 2) link the template models to existing domain models to support, to some extent, requirements verification and auto-filling. We provide a systematic process for the creation of customizable and reusable templates, which, to the best of our knowledge, represents a novel contribution. The application of this systematic process to a subset of the ARINC-653 standard from the avionics domain, resulted in seven templates that cover various types of requirements. We developed a tool, called MD-RSuT, that supports the specification of requirements using the seven templates created for ARINC-653, and the automated verification and auto-filling of requirements using an ARINC domain model. We evaluated the applicability of the approach across domains, and its effectiveness in improving requirements quality in terms of necessity, unambiguity, completeness, singularity, and verifiability. To do so, we applied the approach on three case studies coming from different domains, namely avionics, automotive, and general purpose software. This evaluation encompasses over a thousand requirements. We also performed a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results. The results show that RESPECT is applicable across domains, and it yields requirements with higher quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Software & Systems Modeling is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10270-025-01265-6 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 38 StartPage: 1897 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Requirements engineering Type: general – SubjectFull: Model-driven software architecture Type: general – SubjectFull: Needs assessment Type: general – SubjectFull: Quality assurance Type: general – SubjectFull: Natural language processing Type: general – SubjectFull: Design templates Type: general – SubjectFull: Conceptual models Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Requirements specification using templates: a model-driven approach. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Darif, Ikram – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: El Boussaidi, Ghizlane – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kpodjedo, Sègla IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Text: Dec2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 16191366 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 24 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Software & Systems Modeling Type: main |
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