A Cognitive Explanation of the Correctness of Information Requirement Specifications (2008)

ABSTRACT The cognitive research in information requirement analysis has identified the knowledge of information analysts, requirement analysis techniques, and problem domains as three important determinants for the correctness of requirement specifications. Various cognitive models have also been proposed on the basis of different cognitive theories in order to explain the important variables for the correctness of requirement specifications. However, these cognitive models are inadequate because they are focused on some rather than all of the three determinants. As a result, two issues related to requirement analysis techniques cannot be accounted for: First, no requirement analysis technique can consistently outperform the others. Second, experienced information analysts use multiple requirement analysis techniques in analyzing complex information systems. On the basis of the structure building theory of language comprehension, this research proposes a more adequate cognitive model that can not only explicate the interactive relationships among the three determinants for the correctness of requirement specifications, but also provide an explanation for the two unsolved issues related to requirement analysis techniques. In addition, this research also validates the proposed cognitive model by the research evidence from previous cognitive research studies. INTRODUCTION It is widely recognized that incorrect requirement specifications are the major cause of system failures (Dardenne, van Lamsweerde, & Fickas, 1993; Davis, 1988; Dorfman, 1990; Greenspan & Mylopoulos, 1982; Scharer, 1981; Standish Group, 1995; Vessey & Conger, 1994). It has been reported that about two thirds of system failures can be attributed to the mistakes made in requirement specifications (Fraser, Kumar, & Vaishnavi, 1991; Shemer, 1987). According to an estimation, incorrect requirement specifications which are not discovered until system implementation may cost fifty to one hundred times more than what would have been required if the errors were discovered during information requirement analysis (Roman, April 1985; Shemer, 1987). In order to identify the determinants for getting information requirements right, cognitive research has been conducted to study the process of information requirement analysis. One stream of research has investigated the differences in analytical behaviors between novice and expert information analysts. Richer domain knowledge and modeling knowledge have been recognized as the qualities of expert information analysts for better performance in information requirement analysis (Adelson & Soloway, 1985; Allwood, 1986;Koubeketal., 1989; Schenk, Vitalari,& Davis, 1998; Sutcliffe & Maiden, 1990; Vessey & Conger, 1993; Vitalari & Dickson, 1983). Another stream of research has focused on comparing the effectiveness of various requirement analysis techniques in specifying information requirements. However, the research results are contradictory (Kim & Lerch, 1992; Vessey & Cogner, 1994; Yadav, Bravoco, Chatfield, & Raikumar, 1988). No requirement analysis technique has shown consistently better performance than the others (Kim & Lerch, 1992; Poti & Ramesh, 2002; Vessey & Cogner, 1994; Yadav, Bravoco, Chatfield, & Raikumar, 1988). In addition, experienced information analysts use multiple requirement analysis techniques in analyzing complex information systems (Littman, 1989). In order to explain the contradictory results, some researchers have suggested that requirement analysis techniques should be matched to types of problem domains (Fitzgerald, 1996; Jackson, 1994; Vessey & Glass, 1994). Several frameworks have also been proposed to classify requirement analysis techniques on the basis of problem domains (Davis, 1988; Iivari, 1989; Marca & McGowan, 1993; Vessey & Glass, Fall 1994). RESEARCH QUESTION In order to identify and explain the important variables for the correctness of requirement specifications, various cognitive models have been built on the basis of different cognitive theories such as normative models, problem solving models, mental models, and comprehension models. …