Relationship definition and mangement: Tools for requirements analysis

Clarifying and defining client expectations is one of the most difficult and important parts of the requirements definition process. Finding out and then prioritizing functional and nonfunctional requirements remains ambiguous and error prone. An approach is presented that is complementary to existing ones - relationship clarification and definition. A client purchasing a system is actually purchasing 3 things: 1. the system, 2. a specific business relationship with the provider, and 3. specific working relationships between the system and members of the organization. Developing a clear, precise specification of these relationships is a necessary step of the requirements definition process. It is shown that software relationships can help anticipate future requests for changes and enhancements. A step-by-step procedure for producing a clear relationship definition statement is presented.