A repository to support requirement specifications reuse

Abstract

Software reuse benefits from methodologies and tools to: locate, evaluate, and tailor reusable components to new developments; develop more readily reusable components; reduce cost, time, effort and probability of emerging bugs; and increase efficiency and quality of final products. The paper's focus is on the architecture of a centralized repository to support requirement specifications reuse. The repository enables the application of design-by and design-for reuse methodologies, as it is the core element, where the reusable components are stored in a hierarchy of different levels of abstraction. Indexing techniques for identifying representative descriptors of schemas and similarity techniques to compare schemas for their classification into families, are also discussed. The components engineering process, to identify, select and classify candidate schemas and components, is detailed. Methodology and tools for the repository are briefly described.