Software Engineering, 10th Edition

4.6 Requirements change

The requirements for large software systems are always changing. One reason for the frequent changes is that these systems are often developed to address “wicked” problems—problems that cannot be completely defined (Rittel and Webber 1973). Because the problem cannot be fully defined, the software requirements are bound to

be incomplete. During the software development process, the stakeholders’ understanding of the problem is constantly changing (Figure 4.18). The system requirements must then evolve to reflect this changed problem understanding.

Figure 4.18 

Requirements evolution

Figure 4.18  Full Alternative Text ...