Requirements engineering process improvement based on an information model

Requirements Engineering (RE) process improvement methods typically work with explicit process models describing activities and document flow between the stakeholders involved, and with explicit document definitions. In complex, multi-project contexts, however, the RE process is better characterized as intertwining of design, negotiation, and sense-making. In the first part of this paper, we present the concepts of a workshop-based RE process improvement technique suitable for a multi-project context. In the second part, we show the experiences made in an industrial case study conducted with Nokia Smart Traffic Products. The major innovations of our approach are: (i) instead of a process model, an information model is created, which focuses solely on the responsibilities of stakeholders with regard to the major documents; (ii) instead of document details, only the major point of view of the documents is defined.