Complete thesis - Murdoch University

Improvement Collaboration). In 1996 a merge of the current versions was initiated under theauspices of the EIA (Electronic Industries Association) G-47 (Systems Engineering) Committee.The result is EIA Systems Engineering Capability Model (SECM) and SECM AppraisalMethod, proposed as standard EIA/IS-731.1.Within the Technical Category three focus areas are most closely relate to RE activities:FA 1.1: Define Stakeholder and System Level Requirements; FA 1.2 Define Technical Problem;FA 1.3 Define Solution. Other, non-technical activities are defined in the Managementor Environment Categories (eg Management Category: FA 2.1 Plan and Organise; FA 2.2Monitor and Control; FA 2.3 Integrate Disciplines; ; FA 2.5 Manage Risk; 2.7 Manage Configurations;FA 2.8 Ensure Quality. Environment Category: FA 3.1 Define and Improve theSystems Engineering Process).Specific practices are generally defined up to level 3 (Defined: where activities are significantlyeffective and work products are of significant utility).The value of this document is the wide variety of industry input and the depth of decompositionof focus areas identified.2.5.2 Towards a REBoKWhat does a review of the BoKs and model curricula indicate with regards to technicalcompetence in RE?It would seem that no one source provides the coverage hinted at by practitioner studies.Hinted at because technical components are implicitly considered as ‘covered’. Practitionersare more concerned about the variety of techniques and strategies learnt than the particularsof a specific approach. This is in keeping with the acceptance of technical skills as a ‘filter’for employment, noted previously. Attachment 1 of Appendix B provides a summary listingof topics (with brief explanation) which may be considered fundamental to the practice ofRE technically. This listing is compiled for the purpose of surveying IT professional engagedin RE practice, and is drawn from the BoKs and model curricula discussed in this chapter.If we were to present a schematic of the computing space of RE (following Shackelford (2005)),the landscape may look like that shown in Figure 2.9. What this indicates is an extractionof components of the computing space of IS, CS and SE (at the least). The basis of thelandscape is the SE space, providing coverage from theory to applications. Some of themore theoretical components of CS are important (formal methods are one example). Whilethere is perhaps less need for theoretical aspects of application technologies, the IS focus onorganisational issues is vital.96