Computer Support for Requirements Management in an International Product Development Project

Requirements management is a challenging task. For complex products, many thousands of requirements need to be managed, i.e. initially set, allocated, changed, verified etc. An approach to solving this problem is to use IT-based requirements management tools. The paper presents an empirical study of the application of such a tool in an international defense material development project through participation in the project team as well as through interviews, with the aim to observe and explain the use and utility of the tool. The requirements management process in the product development project has been mapped out through the adoption of a qualitative system approach, and by using multiple information sources, such as project documentation, interviews and project participation. More specifically, we have identified different actors’ needs for tools and information, and the process of introduction, training and utilization of a requirements management tool. The findings are presented, analyzed and discussed with respect to the factors that underlie the observed phenomena. Finally, guidelines are presented for how to introduce requirements management tools in product development projects.