Requirements Working Group

INCOSE Working Group focused on improving the practice of needs, requirements development, management, verification and validation. Open to all INCOSE members.

Visit Our members-Only iNet Page

Welcome to Requirements Working Group

Our mission

The purpose of the Requirements Working Group (RWG) is to advance the practices, education and theory of systems engineering through excellence in needs and requirements definition and management, verification, and validation across the lifecycle.

The RWG work contributes to the realization of INCOSE's Vision 2035.

Welcome message

INCOSE RWG Monthly Meeting

Join us on 6 November 2024 for the presentation "Traceability - The Threads That Link SE Artifacts Together Across the Lifecycle" by Lou Wheatcraft.

Click here to enroll.

Process Enablers

TechOps Domain

1753

Members

1992

Established


Chair

Lou Wheatcraft (Wheatland Consulting)

Co-Chair(s)

  • Mike Ryan (Capability Associates)
  • Kevin Orr (Eaton)
  • Jeffery Williams (University of Alabama in Huntsville)
  • Sarah Vazquez (Veoveer)
  • Katarzyna Kot (BA Coach)

Our goals

1. Develop and maintain INCOSE’s body of knowledge on with needs and requirements development and management across all systems engineering lifecycle process activities.

2. Communicate the importance of the relationship of needs and requirements to other systems engineering activities and artifacts.

3. Engage with the SE community, particularly through collaboration with other Working Groups.

4. Promote best practices associated with needs, requirements, verification, and validation in today's increasingly complex, software intensive systems.

5. Continue research into needs and requirements definition and management, including understanding the role of needs, requirements, verification, and validation across the lifecycle.

6. Support INCOSE’s efforts to move from a document-centric to a data-centric practice of SE.

Outcomes

The RWG will realize the following outcomes:
• Successful RWG meetings at IW and IS.
• Monthly virtual meetings and recordings.
• Presentations on the INCOSE RWG YouTube Channel.
• Up-to-date work products.
• Inputs to the SEBOK.
• Inputs to revisions of the SE HBK.
• Champions to lead RWG activities.
• Volunteers to participate in and contribute to RWG activities.
• Viva Engage discussions among RWG members.
• Announcements on Viva Engage and emails.
• Up to date RWG public and iNet pages.
• Collaboration with other INCOSE working groups, other professional societies, commercial and industry committees, government organizations, and academic institutions.
• INCOSE tutorials and webinars.
• Presentations to INCOSE Chapters. 
• Materials and presentations that can be used as part of an organization’s training program.

RWG YouTube channel

youtube_1384060Our presentations and meeting are recorded and published on INCOSE RWG - YouTube

teamwork_10523242 Join Requirements Working Group

To participate in our activities, you need to be an INCOSE member. To join our working group follow these steps:

  1. Log into your INCOSE account.
  2. Go to your Profile Page.
  3. On the upper right, click the link for "Join a Working Group".
  4. Find the desired Working Group and click on “Select”.  It will then change to say “Selected” with a check mark.  You can join as many WG as you are interested in.
  5. Return to your profile page and click on the link for “Communication & Directory Opt Out” and click on each box that applies for your communication preferences.  To receive emails from the WGs you have selected, you must “opt in” by checking the box next to “Working Group/Committee Emails”.
  6. Ensure you keep your email of record current.  You can change this from your profile page by clicking on the “Update my Profile” link.

2024 Requirements WG Plans

 

What happened at IW2024

  • The Saturday session was a presentation of an overview of the RWG, what it is about, and how to become a member. Presentation of plans for 2024.
  • The Sunday morning session was a repeat of the Saturday afternoon session.
  • The Sunday afternoon session was devoted to assessing poorly written requirements, identifying the defects, and writing an improved version of the requirement without the defects. This activity was very popular and generated a lot of discussion and engagement of the attendees.

Regular RWG Activities

  • Monthly web Meetings, Speakers or Exchange Cafés
  • Continued CAB Interactions and support
  • Engagement with other Working Groups (IV&V, Security, others)
  • Continued use of YouTube for RWG content
  • Regular use of Viva Engage for collaboration

2024 Planned Activities

  • Publication of Needs and Requirements Manual v2. (version 1 can be downloaded here)
  • Update the SEBoK.
  • Collaboration with other WGs.
  • Continue RWG Monthly meetings but conducting them at two different times in order to better serve our worldwide membership.
  • Continue to add presentations to our YouTube Channel.
  • Develop guidance on the use of our products – legally.
  • Develop guidance and a road map for using videos on our YouTube Channel for education and training.
  • Develop new whitepapers and guides.
  • Adding a third layer of management consisting of project managers of proposed new activities and products.

Some of these activities have already started as projects, you can read more about them on the iNet page (members only).

INCOSE RWG Meeting

Topic:  "Traceability - The Threads That Link SE Artifacts Together Across the Lifecycle" by Lou Wheatcraft.

Abstract: For today’s increasingly complex, software-intensive systems, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a human brain to comprehend all the relationships and dependencies of SE artifacts across the lifecycle. Of particular concern is having the capability to assess change. Because of this, it is critical that projects have the SE tools necessary to develop the integrated/federated data and information model, enabling them to manage these relationships and dependences and assess impacts of changes across all lifecycle activities and associated artifacts.  Traceability is the ability to establish an association or relationship between two or more entities and to track entities from their origin to the activities and deliverables that satisfy them, as well as assess the effects on artifacts across the lifecycle when change occurs.  Many standards and regulations require traceability to be established across the lifecycle of the product/system.  Failure to show required traceability can lead to a product not being approved for its intended use in the marketplace.

In this presentation, the following topics will be discussed: the different types of traceability, the various kinds of relationships and dependencies that are established using traceability, the use of traceability to show compliance with standards and regulations,  the use of SE tools to establish and maintain a traceability/relationship meta-model, guidelines for recording and managing traceability, using traceability to manage requirements, and the use of traceability to assess change across the lifecycle.

The material being presented will be based on the latest version of the INCOSE RWG Needs and Requirements Manual (NRM).

Bio: Lou Wheatcraft is a senior consultant and managing member of Wheatland Consulting, LLC.  Lou is an internationally recognized expert in systems engineering with a focus on needs, requirements, verification, and validation across the system lifecycle.  Lou has over 50 years’ experience in systems engineering, including 22 years in the United States Air Force.  Lou has taught over 200 requirement seminars over the last 24 years.  Lou supports clients from government and industries involved in developing and managing systems and products including aerospace, defense, medical devices, consumer goods, transportation, and energy.  Lou is active in the INCOSE and is the current chair of the RWG.   Lou is a principal author of several RWG manuals and guides including the Needs and Requirements Manual (NRM), Guide to Needs and Requirements GtNR), Guide to Verification and Validation (GtVV), and newly released version 4 of the Guide to Writing Requirements (GtWR).

When: 6 November 2024 12:00pm-1:00pm EST (17:00-18:00 UTC)

Register here: https://incose-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YVJMRixYTX6mR4D90vOPWA

 
Note: After registering for the meeting you get an option for a calendar notice

Time zone planner: Meeting Planner – Find best time across Time Zones (timeanddate.com)

Find out more by visiting the Working Group Microsoft Viva Engage community today!

 

Microsoft Viva Engage is INCOSE's social media platform for members. Use your INCOSE-issued Microsoft credential to log in and join the conversation. INCOSE credentials are in the form of [email protected] or [email protected].   

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