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Bayesian networks for enhancement of requirements engineering: a literature review

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Abstract

Requirements analysis is the software engineering stage that is closest to the users’ world. It also involves tasks that are knowledge intensive. Thus, the use of Bayesian networks (BNs) to model this knowledge would be a valuable aid. These probabilistic models could manage the imprecision and ambiguities usually present in requirements engineering (RE). In this work, we conduct a literature review focusing on where and how BNs are applied on subareas of RE in order to identify which gaps remain uncovered and which methods might engineers employ to incorporate this intelligent technique into their own requirements processes. The scarcity of identified studies (there are only 20) suggests that not all RE areas have been properly investigated in the literature. The evidence available for adopting BNs into RE is sufficiently mature yet the methods applied are not easily translatable to other topics. Nonetheless, there are enough studies supporting the applicability of synergistic cooperation between RE and BNs. This work provides a background for understanding the current state of research encompassing RE and BNs. Functional, non-functional and -ilities requirements artifacts are enhanced by the use of BNs. These models were obtained by interacting with experts or by learning from databases. The most common criticism from the point of view of BN experts is that the models lack validation, whereas requirements engineers point to the lack of a clear application method for BNs and the lack of tools for incorporating them as built-in help functions.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under project TIN2013-46638-C3-1-P.

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  1. Departamento de Informática, Universidad de Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, Edificio Científico Técnico III Matemáticas e Informática (CITE III), Planta 2, Despacho 2.19.0, 04120, Almería, Spain

    Isabel M. del Águila

  2. Departamento de Informática, Universidad de Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, Edificio Científico Técnico III Matemáticas e Informática (CITE III), Planta 2, Despacho 2.16.1, 04120, Almería, Spain

    José del Sagrado

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del Águila, I.M., del Sagrado, J. Bayesian networks for enhancement of requirements engineering: a literature review. Requirements Eng 21, 461–480 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00766-015-0225-3

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