Skip to main content
Log in

Is emotion relevant to requirements engineering?

  • Viewpoints
  • Published:
Requirements Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This viewpoint argues that the introduction of most computer-based system to an organization transforms the organization and changes the work patterns of the system’s users in the organization. These changes interact with the users’ values and beliefs and trigger emotional responses which are sometimes directed against the software system and its proponents. A requirements engineer must be aware of these emotions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. This quotation is from a draft that preceded publication as a chapter in a book [15]. The quotation did not survive into the book chapter. However, by e-mailed personal communication, Joseph Goguen assures us that he still believes in the contents of the quotation and that he does not disown it.

References

  1. Ramos I, Berry DM, Carvalho JA (2005) Requirements engineering for organizational transformation. J Inform Softw Technol 47(5):479–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lehman MM (1980) Programs, life cycles, and laws of software evolution. Proc IEEE 68(9):1060–1076

    Google Scholar 

  3. Esteves J, Pastor J (2001) Enterprise resource planning systems research: an annotated bibliography. Commun Assoc Inform Syst 7(8):1–51

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dickson GW, DeSanctis G (2000) Information technology and the future enterprise: new models for managers. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  5. Palmer I, Hardy C (2000) Thinking about management. Thousand Oaks, Sage

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bergman MB, King JL, Lyytinen K (2002) Large-scale requirements analysis revisited: the need for understanding the political ecology of requirements engineering. Requirements Eng J 7(3):152–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Damásio A (1999) The feeling of what happens: body and emotion in the making of consciousness. New York, Harcourt Brace

    Google Scholar 

  8. Parker S, Wall T (1998) Job and work design: organizing work to promote well-being and effectiveness. Thousand Oaks, Sage

    Google Scholar 

  9. Snizek WE (1995) Virtual offices: some neglected considerations. Commun ACM 38(9):15–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Markus ML (1983) Power, politics and MIS implementation. Commun ACM 26:430–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Huff C (2002) Gender, software design, and occupational equity. Inroads, SIGCSE Bull 34(2):112–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Boehm BW, Ross R (1989) Theory W software project management: principles and examples. IEEE Trans Softw Eng SE 15(7):902–916

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Boehm B, Bose P, Horowitz E, Lee MJ (1994) Software requirements as negotiated win conditions. In: Proceedings of the first international conference on requirements engineering (ICRE94) IEEE Computer Society, Colorado Springs, CO, pp 74–83

  14. Goguen JA (1993) Requirements engineering as the reconciliation of technical and social issues. Technical Report, Centre for Requirements and Foundations, Programming Research Group, Oxford University Computing Lab, modified version later published as 15, Oxford, UK

  15. Goguen JA (1994) Requirements engineering as the reconciliation of technical and social issues. In: Goguen JA, Jirotka M (eds) Academic Press, London, pp 165–199

  16. Ramos IMP (2000) Aplicações das Tecnologias de Informaçãoque Suportam as Dimensões Estrutural, Social, Política e Simbólica do Trabalho. PhD Dissertation, Departamento de Informática, Universidade do Minho Guimarães, Portugal

  17. Santos I, Carvalho JA (1998) Computer-based systems that support the structural, social, political and symbolic dimensions of work. Requirements Eng J 3(2):138–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Easterbrook SM (1992) SCW: co-operation or conflict? Springer, London

    Google Scholar 

  19. Krumbholz M, Galliers J, Coulianos N, Maiden NAM (2000) Implementing enterprise resource planning packages in different corporate and national cultures. J Inform Technol 15:267–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Krumbholz M, Maiden NAM (2000) The implementing of ERP packages in different organisational and national cultures. Inform Syst J 26(3):185–204

    Google Scholar 

  21. Pfeffer J, Salancik G (1978) The external control of organizations: a resource dependence perspective. Harper & Row, New York

    Google Scholar 

  22. Sickenius de Souza C, Prates RO, Barbosa SDJ (2003) Adopting information technology as a first step in design, lessons learned from working with Brazilian social volunteers. Interactions X(2):72–79

    Google Scholar 

  23. Boehm BW, Huang LG (2003) Value-based software engineering: a case study. IEEE Computer 36(3):33–41

    Google Scholar 

  24. Rost J (2004) Political reasons for failed software projects. IEEE Software 21(6):104, 102–103

    Google Scholar 

  25. Boehm BW (1981) Software engineering economics. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

  26. Lutz RR, Mikulski IC (2004) Empirical analysis of safety-critical anomalies during operations. IEEE Trans Softw Eng SE 30(3):172–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous referees of our previous papers for their helpful comments. Daniel Berry’s work was supported in part by a Canadian NSERC grant, NSERC-RGPIN227055-00.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel M. Berry.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramos, I., Berry, D.M. Is emotion relevant to requirements engineering?. Requirements Eng 10, 238–242 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00766-005-0014-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00766-005-0014-5

Navigation