Evaluating the impact of requirements analysis tools using simulation.

Adopting new tools and technologies on a development process can be a risky endeavor. Will the project accept the new technology? What will be the impact? Far too often the project is forced to adopt the new technology without planning how it will be applied on the project or evaluating the technology's potential impact. In this article, we provide a case study evaluating a new technology. Specifically we assess the merits of an automated requirements analysis tool. First, we provide a background on automated requirements analysis tool technology. Then, using Process Simulation (P-SIM), we find situations where the use of this new technology is useful and situations where the use of this new technology is useless for large-scale NASA projects that utilize a process similar to the IEEE 12207 systems development life cycle. The method can be applied in assessing the impact (including Return on Investment), breakeven point, and the overall value of applying any tool on a project. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.