Event-based traceability for managing evolutionary change

Although the benefits of requirements traceability are widely recognized, the actual practice of maintaining a traceability scheme is not always entirely successful. The traceability infrastructure underlying a software system tends to erode over its lifetime, as time-pressured practitioners fail to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on software engineering 2003-09, Vol.29 (9), p.796-810
Main Authors: Cleland-Huang, J., Chang, C.K., Christensen, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Automation
Computer programs
Computer science
Computer Society
Control systems
Evolutionary
Impact analysis
Links
Maintenance engineering
Project management
Recognition
Requirements
Software
Software engineering
Software maintenance
Software systems
Software testing
Software upgrading
Studies
System testing
Systems analysis
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Summary:Although the benefits of requirements traceability are widely recognized, the actual practice of maintaining a traceability scheme is not always entirely successful. The traceability infrastructure underlying a software system tends to erode over its lifetime, as time-pressured practitioners fail to consistently maintain links and update impacted artifacts each time a change occurs, even with the support of automated systems. This paper proposes a new method of traceability based upon event-notification and is applicable even in a heterogeneous and globally distributed development environment. Traceable artifacts are no longer tightly coupled but are linked through an event service, which creates an environment in which change is handled more efficiently, and artifacts and their related links are maintained in a restorable state. The method also supports enhanced project management for the process of updating and maintaining the system artifacts.
ISSN:0098-5589
1939-3520
DOI:10.1109/TSE.2003.1232285