Question

1. Outline the process of developing a software product using an Agile method like Scrum or XP. In other words, identify the sequence of activities that take place and the artefacts that are output or input during an Agile software development, for example during a Scrum sprint.

2. In what ways are traditional requirements engineering activities supported in a project that has chosen to use an Agile software development method?

3. What traditional requirements engineering activities are either not supported, or not supported well, by Agile software development methods?

4. State whether the quality of requirements engineering within Agile software development projects is higher or lower than in traditional software development projects. Provide reasons to justify your decision.

A user story usually has the following generic form:

As a

I can

So that

Consider the dentist scenario below.

TeethRUs is an NHS dental practice that specialises in prosthodontics, especially work with bridges and crowns, and also in endodontics surgery and maxiofacial surgery. Currently, a patient is treated by a dentist and then, after the treatment, the dentist communicates the treatment by phone to the receptionist, and also explains over the phone the future treatment a patient needs. From this information the receptionist takes a payment from the patient for the treatment they have just received and also schedules one or more future appointments for all of the future planned treatments that the dentist has indicated are required by the patient.

Because in practice many errors have occurred due to miscommunication over the phone between the dentists and the receptionists, the dental practice would like to develop a more up-to-date system for intercommunication between the dentist and the receptionist. They are not sure at this point whether to acquire and, if necessary, adapt an off-the-shelf software-intensive product, or to have a product developed for them by, for example, a Software House. TeethRUs have hired you as a Requirements Engineer to respond to their initial brief and to develop a requirements document.

The manager of the dental practice explains to you that the product must be ready for use by December the 1st 2015 and must not cost more than 20,000 in total.

She also indicates that the product is to be a computer-based system. Dentists will use it by selecting treatments from a drop down list; selected treatments will be added to a record of the current treatment for a patient. The dentist needs to be able to send the final current treatment record to a receptionist. But the whole product must be very easy for the dentist and receptionist to learn to use. The receptionist needs the product to be able to calculate the cost of the current treatment for a patient instantaneously after the dentist has got the product to send the details of the current treatment through to him or her; the charges need to be based on the National Health Service guidelines for dental treatment charges. Based on the future treatment plan for the patient, which the dentist also automatically sends through to the receptionist, the product will also advise the receptionist what dates and times are available for booking in this patient to receive these planned treatments. The patient may accept or reject the suggested slots and ask for others to be calculated and, in this case, the receptionist will input the rejection into the product, which will then try to present new suggestions.

5. Write one user story based on that scenario.

6. State the acceptance criteria for your user story.