Enhancing Telecom Software Development Processes: A Framework for Customer-Centric Requirements Elicitation and Validation Processes

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

URL

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Science | Master's thesis

Date

2024-09-29

Department

Major/Subject

Software and Service Engineering

Mcode

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences

Language

en

Pages

59

Series

Abstract

This thesis focuses on enhancement of software development processes in the content of telecommunications industry through proposal of a customer-centric requirements elicitation and validation framework. The telecom sector along with its unique challenges with stringent reliability, security, and regulatory compliance, demands a specialized approach to software development. This thesis identifies key challenges in eliciting and validating customer requirements in the telecom software development processes. Through the case study of a telecom company, this thesis identified key challenges in customer-centric requirements engineering. These challenges include limited resources and the absence of standardized documentation, which hinder the effectiveness of requirements elicitation and validation. To address these challenges identified from interview findings, the thesis suggests a framework that integrates techniques such as user stories to capture detailed customer requirements while maintaining the broader context and rationale. It emphasizes the use of standardized documentation templates to ensure comprehensive and consistent recording of requirements. For validation, walkthroughs and mockups are used to assess feature feasibility and verify understanding from the customer's perspective. Additionally, a traceability matrix is maintained to keep track of changes systematically, ensuring efficient resource management even in the case of limited time and budget constraints. The proposed framework helps telecom companies better align their software development processes with customer needs, improving their satisfaction and reducing the risk of software misalignment. It offers a structured, flexible, and repeatable approach to requirements engineering. This can significantly enhance both customer value and the efficiency of the development lifecycle. The thesis concludes with recommendations for future research to further refine and test the framework across different telecom organizations.

Description

Supervisor

Nieminen, Marko

Thesis advisor

Piiroinen, Markku

Keywords

customer-centric requirements, telecom software development, requirements elicitation, requirements validation, requirements prioritization, resource management

Other note

Citation