Using scenarios in deficiency-driven requirements engineering

A process is described for generating and validating specifications, together with an automated tool which supports this approach. The input to the process is a set of client objectives, expressed as transitions between states. These transitions fall into two classes: those which should be supported, and those which should be prevented. The output is a specification of a target artifact, expressed as a set of capabilities. A valid specification is a set of artifact capabilities that can be used to achieve all desired transitions but cannot be used to achieve any undesirable transitions. An automated system is used for reasoning about scenarios (sequences of actions) to generate and evaluate specifications. Scenarios are employed to identify missing capabilities that would enable artifact users to achieve their goals, and to determine whether a particular capability set will allow prohibited transitions.<>