Towards a competency model for requirements analysts
Journal
Information Systems Journal (ISJ)
ISSN
1350-1917
ISSN-Digital
1365-2575
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2012-11
Author(s)
Research Team
iw6-init
Abstract
Requirements engineering is a software development discipline, executed by requirements analysts (RAs), that includes requirements elicitation, analysis, specification and validation. Its successful outcome is very often essential to overall project success. However, there is a lack of systematically conducted empirical research on the competencies of RAs. This paper addressed this gap by conducting 64 interviews at eight major North American and European financial services companies. Our qualitative research design follows an interpretive approach and uses critical incident technique. We develop a competency model, which specifies 16 critical competencies, and integrates contextual and situational factors as well as results variables. ‘Consulting others', ‘Testing assumptions and investigating' and ‘Explaining concepts and opinions' were the most frequently identified competencies. This indicates that for an effective analyst, close interaction and communication with customers is indeed crucial - but of equally importance is the critical questioning of the expressed needs. Surprisingly, applying specific tools and advanced techniques did not seem to play a significant role from the interviewees' perspective. This study contributes to theory as it is the first to elaborate a competency model for RAs. It also provides a foundation for the development of competency-based training in companies and universities.
Language
English
Keywords
requirements engineering
competency model
critical incident technique
software development
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher place
Oxford UK
Volume
22
Number
6
Start page
475
End page
503
Pages
29
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
223580
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
JML_348.pdf
Size
244.6 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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