A case study of applying rapid prototyping techniques in the Requirements Engineering Environment

Rapid prototyping techniques have been recognized as an important technology for requirements engineering. By developing and exercising executable prototypes as part of the requirements specification process, it is possible to address the well known problems of ambiguity, incompleteness, and inconsistency in capturing requirements for complex software systems. The Requirements Engineering Environment (REE), under development at Rome Laboratory since 1985, provides an integrated toolset for rapidly representing, building, and executing models of critical aspects of complex systems. This paper presents an overview of the REE toolset and describes its capabilities for modeling and analyzing functional, user interface, and performance requirements. It then discusses a case study that illustrates the approach for transitioning REE technology from the laboratory to Air Force user sites. This case study specifically concentrates on applying REE to prototyping activities associated with developing a space debris hazard analysis system. Modeling aspects covered in the study include designing user interfaces, exercising domain-specific analytical models and algorithms, and iterative modification of functional prototypes