Replicating the CREWS use case authoring guidelines experiment

Authors: Cox, K. and Phalp, K.

Journal: Empirical Software Engineering

Volume: 5

Issue: 3

Pages: 245-267

ISSN: 1382-3256

DOI: 10.1023/A:1026542700033

Abstract:

Use cases have become an important tool in software engineering. There has been much focus on the diagram notation but relatively little on use-case descriptions. As part of a welcome and important research project into the use of scenarios in requirements engineering, the CREWS (Co-operative Requirements Engineering With Scenarios, an EU funded ESPRIT project 21903) team has proposed a set of guidelines for writing use-case descriptions. This paper describes the replication of a CREWS project experiment that suggests CREWS use-case authoring guidelines improve the completeness of use-case descriptions. Our results show that the CREWS guidelines do not necessarily improve the use-case descriptions, only that the subjects implemented varying numbers of guidelines in their use-case descriptions. Subjects in the control group implemented a significant percentage of the guidelines by 'chance'. To further justify our results, we also apply a different marking scheme to compare with the CREWS approach. The results from the alternative marking approach show that there was no significant difference between the qualities of the use-case descriptions across the various groups.

Source: Scopus

Replicating the CREWS Use Case Authoring Guidelines Experiment

Authors: Phalp, K.T. and Cox, K.

Journal: Empirical Software Engineering

Volume: 5

Pages: 245-267

ISSN: 1382-3256

DOI: 10.1023/A:1026542700033

Abstract:

Abstract Use cases have become an important toolin software engineering. There has been much focus on the diagramnotation but relatively little on use-case descriptions. As partof a welcome and important research project into the use of scenariosin requirements engineering, the CREWS (Co-operative RequirementsEngineering With Scenarios, an EU funded ESPRIT project 21903)team has proposed a set of guidelines for writing use-case descriptions.This paper describes the replication of a CREWS project experimentthat suggests CREWS use-case authoring guidelines improve thecompleteness of use-case descriptions. Our results show thatthe CREWS guidelines do not necessarily improve the use-casedescriptions, only that the subjects implemented varying numbersof guidelines in their use-case descriptions. Subjects in thecontrol group implemented a significant percentage of the guidelinesby `chance.' To further justify our results, we also apply adifferent marking scheme to compare with the CREWS approach.The results from the alternative marking approach show that therewas no significant difference between the qualities of the use-casedescriptions across the various groups.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m697564132040253/?p=8ecae83497d84c0f8b9d66575c2b8ad7&pi=13

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Keith Phalp

Replicating the CREWS Use Case Authoring Guidelines Experiment.

Authors: Cox, K. and Phalp, K.

Journal: Empir. Softw. Eng.

Volume: 5

Pages: 245-267

Source: DBLP