Three- Reflective Journal

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MODULE 4MODULE 4

Visual representations of requirements and requirement

validation

Source:

https://www.modernanalyst.com/Careers/InterviewQuestions/tabid/128/ID/1804/What-

is-a-Swimlane-Diagram.aspx

Introduction:

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In Module 3, you learned use case diagrams and how they can used to

model what the system or a use can do. Module 4 continues to teach you

how to use visual diagrams to module di�erent aspects of the system. Apart

from what the system can do, what are the other aspects of the system that

are of interest to a requirement engineer? For example, as a requirement

engineer you may want to de�ne the boundary of the system, what are the

external entities that interact with the system. To model the boundary and

the interactive external entities, you will need a Context Diagram. You may

also want to understand the data models and their relationships. In this

case, you will need to draw an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). You also

need to understand business processes and the steps in each complex

business process. A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) and Swimlane Diagram are

designed for modelling that aspect of the system.

Visual representations of requirements modules complement requirements

written in text, but they are not replacements for the written requirements.

Both representations (visual and text) have their own advantages and

disadvantages.

Module 4 does not seek to teach all UML diagrams, rather it teaches a

sample of UML diagrams, including Swimlane diagram, State Transition

Diagram and dialog map. Other UML diagrams are (or will be) taught in

other Subjects, e.g. Context Diagram, DFD (MIS605) and ERD (MIS602). With

the foundation you learn in these Subject, you will �nd it much easier to

learn a new diagram and understand the aspect(s) of the system the

diagram seeks to model.

Module 4.2 primarily focused on requirement validation. Imagine you

engage a builder to build a residential house. After requirement elicitation,

analysis, design and construction, you �nally received the key to your new

house. Before you move in, you will conduct an inspection of the house. You

would like to check whether the builder has built a house in accordance with

what you told them during the requirement elicitation phrase and in

accordance with the requirement speci�cation that you signed o� a few

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months ago. This �nal check, i.e. verifying whether the end product meets

the stated requirements, is called requirement veri�cation.

You will agree that if at the veri�cation stage you �nd any errors in the

requirements, e.g. you did not mean to build a double story house, it is very

expensive to �x that error. Therefore, it is crucial to validate the

requirements before implementation to ensure they actually re�ect the

customer needs.

Module 4.2 will teach you how to perform requirement validation. For

example, what are the steps to follow in the requirement validation process.

What are the roles and responsibilities in this process? You learnt that

prototyping is an e�ective tool used in requirement elicitation. You will also

see how prototyping can also be adopted in the requirement validation

process.

This Module will cover:

Module 4.1 – Visual representations of requirements

Module 4.2 – Requirement Validation

This Module will help you achieve the following outcomes:

a) Evaluate methods of documenting, maintaining and measuring requirements to relate to business need.

b) Identify, select and develop requirements to maximise e�ectiveness in the enterprise and promote sustainable business practices.

Time Management:

Your workload expectation is 20 hours for this module.

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20 hours per module (two weeks): facilitated study: 3 hours / week. Personal Study: 7 hours / week.

3 hours facilitated study consists of attending class, responding to facilitator feedback.

You are to allocate 7 hours of personal learning. This includes essential time spent on pre-reading and viewing materials, assessment progression and learning activities.

Assessment Progression:

Assessment 2 is due by the end of this Module. You are required to write a

Software Requirement Speci�cation (SRS) document for a proposed system.

In the SRS, in addition to use case diagram (Module 3), you are required to

model other aspects of the system, for example, you are required to draw a

state transition diagram as well as a Swimlane diagram. Module 4.1 content

is closely relevant to Assessment 2.

Class Expectation:

You are expected to have worked through the essential learning resources and activities for this module before attending the facilitated session (face to face or online session) – this enables informed discussion and full participation in learning activities.

Participate in all scheduled facilitated sessions.

This time is intended to be used by you and your learning facilitator to work through activities and engage in discussion about the module content.

These sessions provide a space for you to raise questions about the module content and seek guidance on writing your assessments.

You will review, explore and discuss more deeply the information presented in the learning resources.

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