Use case diagrams (L. Jacobson et al., 1992) have proven quite helpful in requirements engineering, both for eliciting requirements and getting a better overview of requirements already stated. However, not all kinds of requirements are equally well supported by use case diagrams. They are good for functional requirements, but poorer at e.g., security requirements, which often concentrate on what should not happen in the system. With the advent of e- and m-commerce applications, security requirements are growing in importance, also for quite simple applications where a short lead time is important. Thus, it would be interesting to look into the possibility for applying use cases on this arena. The paper suggests how this can be done, extending the diagrams with misuse cases. This new construct makes it possible to represent actions that the system should prevent, together with those actions which it should support.

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Eliciting security requirements by misuse cases

To prioritize software maintenance activities, it is important to identify which programming flaws impact most on an applicationpsilas evolution. Recent empirical studies on such a flaw, code clones, have focused on one of the arguments to consider clones harmful, namely, that related clones are not updated consistently. We believe that a wider notion is needed to assess the effect of cloning on evolution. This paper compares measures of the maintenance effort on methods with clones against those without. Statistical and graphical analysis suggests that having a clone may increase the maintenance effort of changing a method. The effort seems to increase depending on the percentage of the system affected whenever the methods that share the clone are modified. We also found that some methods seem to increase significantly their maintenance effort when a clone was present. However, the characteristics analyzed in these methods did not reveal any systematic relation between cloning and such maintenance effort increase.

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Assessing the effect of clones on changeability

We describe and analyze the process of requirements development in scenario based design through consideration of a case study. In our project, a group of teachers and system developers initially set out to create a virtual physics laboratory. Our design work centered on the collaborative development of a series of scenarios describing current and future classroom activities. We observed classroom scenarios to assess needs and opportunities, and envisioned future scenarios to specify and analyze possible design moves. We employed claims analysis to evaluate design trade-offs implicit in these scenarios, to codify the specific advantages and disadvantages in achieving requirements. Through the course of this process, the nature of our project requirements has evolved, providing more information but also more kinds of information. We discuss the utility of managing requirements development through an evolving set of scenarios, and the generality of the scenario stages from this case study.

Requirements development in scenario-based design

The information systems (IS) discipline is apparently undergoing an identity crisis. Academicians question the need for IS departments in colleges, stating the absence of a core for the field and its integration within other business functions as a basis for its elimination. At the same time, many practitioners, as reflected in the U.S. government's recent IT labor shortage report, continue to ignore IS as a distinct field of study. This article briefly outlines these and other challenges and argues that notwithstanding underlying philosophical differences, it can be concluded that IS is an emerging scientific discipline. This conclusion is reached through an assessment of the debate surrounding the issue of whether IS should be a discipline and an analysis of the IS discipline using some key characteristics of "science." The arguments put forth in this paper have four key implications for the IS community: a continuing emphasis on adopting scientific principles and practices for conducting inquiry into IS phenomena; an enhancement of the self-concept of IS academics and professionals through a common identity; it enhances the ability of supporters of the IS field to defend against criticisms, integration with other disciplines, and resource rivalry; and it creates the potential of being well-situated to building a cumulative tradition in the field.

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Is information systems a science? an inquiry into the nature of the information systems discipline

Information systems outsourcing life cycle and risks analysis

Part 1 Manager's Guide To Implementing A Quality System 1. Defining Software Quality Why Bother with Quality? Quality: What is It? 2. Managing A Quality Company DT> Dedication to Customer Satisfaction Emphasis on Continuous Improvement Treating Suppliers as Business Partners Communication and Teamwork Empowering Employees Commitment by Top Management Total Quality Management 3. Implementing A Quality System Towards a Quality System Initiate a Quality Program Plan a Quality Program Implement the Cultural Program Implement the Technical Program D> Review and Evaluate 4. Quality Certification What is ISO 9000 Certification? Reasons for ISO 9000 Certification What ISO Certification Involved ISO 9000 Certification around the World Alternative to ISO9000 Part 2 Software Engineer's Guide To Best Projects 5. Applying Best Practice To Projects Software Engineering Definition Quality Principles Management Principles D> Engineering Principles Software Engineering Practices 6. Life Cycle Activities Overview Life Cycle Approaches User Requirements Software Requirements Architectural Design DD> Production Transfer Maintenance 7. Supporting Activities Overview Project Management Configuration Management Verification Software Quality Assurance TRONG>8. Organization Level Activities Process Management Procurement Training Management Responsibility

Eugene Curran

Papers

Software Quality: A Framework for Success in Software Development and Support