Tomasz Straszak

Complementary use case scenario representations based on domain vocabularies

Use cases are commonly used as notation for capturing functional requirements through scenarios. The problem is that there is no universal notation for use case contents which is capable of accommodating all the needs of software project participants. Business analysts and stakeholders need understandability and informality, while for architects and designers, precision and unambiguity are the most crucial features. In this paper we propose a metamodel and concrete syntax for three complementary representations of use case scenarios. These representations present the same information, but put emphasis on different aspects of it thus accommodating for different readers. This metamodel utilises the idea of separation of requirements as such from their representations as well as the idea of clear distinction between description of the systems behaviour and of the problem domain.

Comprehensive System for Systematic Case-Driven Software Reuse

Reuse of software artifacts (blueprints and code) is normally associated with organising a systematic reuse framework most often constructed for a specific problem domain. In this paper we present a system (language, tool, reuse process) where software reuse is based on building and retrieving of so-called software cases (large compound artifacts) that can be reused between domains. The system is opportunistic in that software cases result from usual (non-reuse oriented) activities where also semantic information is added. This information is used to support regular development but may serve later to retrieve software cases. Having this common semantic basis, we can organise a systematic cross-domain reuse process where application logic of one system can be reused for systems within different domains.

Facilitating transition from requirements to code with the ReDSeeDS tool

This paper presents a tool suite that automates transition from precise use case and domain models to code. The suite is built around the Requirements Specification Language (RSL) that is based on a precise constrained language grammar. RSL specifications can be used to generate complete MVC/MVP code structure together with method bodies of the Controller layer.

Scenario construction tool based on extended UML metamodel

Scenario based notations are becoming more and more popular as means for user requirements elicitation. They can be used in more formal specifications as part of detailed use case templates or in agile processes to capture informal user stories. Despite their significance in software engineering, scenarios seem not to be properly supported by appropriate tools. This paper describes a scenario construction tool that offers clear separation of the actual story from notions used therein. The tool is constructed as an extension to visual notation of UMLs use cases. It is based on an extended UML metamodel in the area of activities and classifiers. This formal basis makes the tool capable of supplying the existing UML tools with an additional layer of requirements models based on scenarios and notions. This layer makes it possible to transform requirements directly into design-level models. The tool offers such transformation capabilities based on a simple model mapping. This transformation supports human efforts to keep the systems design consistent with the users needs expressed through scenarios.

Writing coherent user stories with tool support

Writing good user stories for software systems seems to be a hard task. Story writers often tend to mix real stories (sequences of events) with descriptions of the domain (notion definitions). This often leads to inconsistencies and confusion in communication between the users and the developers. This paper proposes a tool that could support writing coherent user stories. The tool clearly separates the domain notion definitions from the actual stories. This leads to a consistent requirements model that is more readable by the users and also easier to implement by the developers.

RECOVERY AND MIGRATION OF APPLICATION LOGIC FROM LEGACY SYSTEMS

Future Internet technologies necessitate dramatic changes in system design, delivery and usage patterns. For many legacy applications it means that their further development and transition to the Internet becomes problematic or even impossible due to the obsolescence of technologies they use. Replacement of the old system with the new one, built from scratch, is usually economically unacceptable. Therefore, there is a call for methods and tools supporting the automated migration of legacy systems into a new paradigm. This paper proposes a tool supported method for recovery and migration of application logic information from legacy systems. The information extracted from a legacy application is stored in the form of precise requirement-level models enabling automated transformation into a new system structure in a model-driven way. Evaluation of the approach is based on a case study legacy system.

Automating acceptance testing with tool support

During acceptance testing different areas of delivered software system are reviewed. Usually these are functionality, business domain logic, non-functional characteristics, user interface. Although they are related to the same particular functional area, they are verified separately. This paper presents the concept and the Requirements Driven Software Testing (ReDSeT) tool, which allows for automatic integrated test generation based on different types of requirements. Tests are expressed in newly introduced Test Specification Language (TSL). The basis for functional test generation are detailed use case models. Furthermore, by combining different types of requirements, relations between tests are created. The constructed tool acknowledges validity of the presented concept.