Suspect Link Identification for Software Requirement-Configuration Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional software development approaches compartmentalize tasks across different disciplines, lacking efficient mechanisms for managing functions that involve multiple software development domains, such as determining how requirements are implemented in software products and evaluating changes to requirements.
Innovation Solution
Techniques for baselining across multiple domains by storing relationship information between requirement objects and configuration management objects, allowing for the creation of accurate baselines that include specific versions of requirements and associated CM objects, and identifying suspect links to perform impact analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional compartmentalized approaches are used for software development, then each discipline can use specialized tools efficiently, but there is no efficient mechanism for managing functions involving multiple disciplines and determining requirement implementation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges Requirement Management (RM) and Configuration Management (CM) into an integrated system where requirements are linked to configuration items through a unified data structure. This integration allows business managers to trace requirements to implementation artifacts and enables automated impact analysis across disciplines, resolving the contradiction by combining previously separate tools and processes into a cohesive system that manages cross-discipline functions efficiently
2Loss of information
If compartmentalized tools are used for requirement management and configuration management, then each tool can perform its specific tasks, but there is no efficient mechanism for evaluating how requirement changes affect software re-development effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where changes to requirements automatically trigger impact analysis that queries the integrated RM-CM system to identify affected configuration items. This feedback loop provides real-time information about how requirement changes propagate through the software development artifacts, enabling efficient evaluation of re-development effort and preventing information loss about requirement implementation relationships
3Measurement precision
If business managers review requirement documentation and CM tool information manually to determine implementation, then complete information is available, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes preliminary links between requirements and configuration items during the requirement definition phase, creating a structured relationship map before implementation begins. This preliminary action enables automated querying and tracing of requirement implementation status without manual review, providing precise tracking information instantly and eliminating the time-consuming manual process while maintaining complete information accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for identifying suspect links between objects from multiple domains. A plurality of links that associates a collection of requirement objects with a set of configuration management objects is stored. The collection of requirement objects is defined in a requirement management system for a software product, and the set of configuration management objects is defined in a configuration management system that is operable to manage the development of the software product. A determination is made that a particular requirement object was changed. In response to determining that the particular requirement object was changed, one or more links of the plurality of links are automatically determined. The one or more links respectively associate one or more configuration management objects, of the set of configuration management objects, with the particular requirement object. The one or more links are then identified as suspect.