Interaction Matrix for Early Nonfunctional Requirement Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current system and software development processes often lead to late discovery of interactions between entities, resulting in inefficient resource use and increased costs, as non-functional requirements are typically defined late in the development cycle.
Innovation Solution
A system architecture and software development tool that captures and manages non-functional requirements through a user interface, utilizing a matrix to identify interaction points and ascertain requirements, allowing for early identification of system/software interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If requirements gathering is performed using traditional late-stage methods, then development flexibility is maintained, but interaction discovery is delayed and resource efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing interaction discovery and requirements gathering at the beginning of the development lifecycle rather than late-stage. The system automatically generates interaction models and identifies system boundaries during initial system architecture definition, enabling early discovery of interactions before full development begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual, mechanical requirements gathering processes with an automated computational system. The system automatically analyzes system architecture definitions, generates interaction models, and identifies interactions between entities without requiring manual intervention, thereby reducing process complexity while enabling early interaction discovery.
2Productivity
If interaction discovery is performed early in the development cycle, then resource allocation improves and costs reduce, but the complexity of capturing all interactions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the system to automatically perform interaction discovery and requirements gathering without extensive manual input. The system autonomously analyzes system architecture definitions, generates interaction models, and produces interaction models and requirements documentation, reducing the need for complex manual processes while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary automated system that bridges system architecture definition and requirements gathering. This intermediary system processes architecture definitions and automatically generates interaction models, serving as a mediator that simplifies the overall process while enabling comprehensive early interaction discovery.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive requirements gathering is performed early, then project planning accuracy improves, but the time and resources required for requirements definition increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces time-consuming manual requirements gathering with an automated computational system that rapidly analyzes system architecture and generates comprehensive interaction models. This substitution maintains high measurement precision for project estimation while significantly reducing the time required for requirements gathering.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of system architecture definitions and automatically generates interaction models from these copies. By working with replicated data structures and generating multiple interaction perspectives automatically, the system achieves comprehensive requirements coverage without proportionally increasing the time investment.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses provide a tool (e.g., a user interface) for capturing and managing requirements, such as nonfunctional requirements (NFRs). The tool may be used in the course of developing software or a system architecture to gather information for software developers, system architects, and others. In particular, a process is disclosed that includes a step of identifying interaction points, a step of developing an interaction grid (or matrix) defining interactions between the identified interaction points, and a step of ascertaining NFRs from a user for each interaction.