Requirements capture and specification for enterprise applications: a UML based attempt

Abstract

We propose a software development method for enterprise applications that combines the use of the structural concepts provided by problem frames, and the use of the UML notation. Problem frames are patterns that provide a precise conceptual model of what is the problem to be solved. The first step of our method is to match the current task with one of the problem frames that we propose for enterprise applications, and this helps to understand the nature of the problem under study. The problem frames to be considered for enterprise applications are clearly more complex than the basic ones. We then provide guidelines to develop all the artifacts required by the method through a dedicated choice of appropriate UML diagrams together with predefined schemas or skeletons for their contents. Thus, using our method provides a more direct path to the UML models, which saves time (no long questions about which diagrams to use and how) and improves the models quality (relevant issues are addressed, a uniform style is offered). In this paper, we consider the phases of modelling the domain, the requirements capture and specification, and their relationships.