Topics covered each week as well as required readings from the textbook (“Writing Better Requirements”).

• Week 1: Thursday September 4.
  • Read chapter 1 in the required textbook (with exercises).
  • Additional slides (in pdf format) are available that augment the material in the textbook. Slides series B (Just enough Requirements). What are Requirements? Why are they needed?

• Week 2, September 8: Textbook chapter 2 (with exercises) - Identifying Stakeholders.
  • Slides series C (“The Machine and the World”). Context: Problem Frames by Michael Jackson (on reserve in Steacie).The difference between user Requirements (REQ) and the Specification (SPEC) of the software to be developed. The importance of describing the World (ENV) in requirements engineering. How to validate: ENV and SPEC =⇒ REQ. UML statecharts, Temporal Logic, Spin Promela) techniques for validation.

• Week 3, September 15:
  • Textbook chapter 3 (with exercises) - Gathering Requirements from Stakeholders.
  • Demo in class of xspin and jspin. Do Exercise and Spin Tutorial in preparation for Quiz 1 next week.

• Week 4, September 22:
  • Textbook chapter 4 (with exercises) - Other sources of Requirements.
  • Quiz 1
  • Requirements Elicitation and Discussion of Project Phase 1.
  • Slides G

• Week 5, September 29:
  • Textbook chapter 5 (with exercises) - Structuring Requirements.
  • Continuing Discussion of Requirements Elicitation and Discussion of Project Phase 1.

• Week 6, October 6:
  • Textbook chapter 6 (with exercises) - Requirements in context.
  • Slides E and F and required reading: UserGuideBerry.pdf (F)

• Week 7, October 13:
  • Textbook chapter 7 (with exercises) - Requirements writing.
  • Complete topic: User Guides as requirements
  • Requirements Traceability tables (see text section 6.5)
  • Start slides from textbook author Ian Alexander (which reviews materials in the current textbook, but also adds materials in his new text to appear 2009)
  • Exercise 2 in preparation for Quiz 2 released.
  • Material for Labtest released

• Week 8, October 20: Textbook chapter 8 (with exercises) - Checking and Reviewing.

• Week 9, October 27: Textbook Appendix - Example user requirements.