Requirements Modelling and Specification for Service Oriented Architecture

Appendix A. Requirements Engineering and Specification Patterns

God forbid that we should give out a dream of our own imagination for a pattern of the world.

Francis Bacon The Great Instauration, 1620)

This appendix presents some thumbnail sketches of patterns that have been referred to in the text. They form part, but not all, of an emerging pattern language that also includes patterns for BRMS development (cf. Graham, 2006) and process and project management patterns (cf. Graham, 2009), not to mention usability patterns (Graham, 2003). Therefore, hooks to other patterns are sometimes incomplete as this is only part of the language.

Figure A-1 presents the patterns graphically and provides primary navigation. The pattern's numbers have no significance whatsoever, except to provide the reader with a quick reference when browsing this chapter.

Some patterns are terminal within this part of the language. A pattern being terminal does not mean that design thinking stops with it - merely that the language considers the further design issues as beyond the language's scope or ambitions. The other cases where the language terminates abruptly usually concern areas of some complexity that, in my opinion, are deserving of a pattern language in their own right. Where such pattern languages already exist, I have referenced them at the end of this appendix.

The simplest way to use the patterns is to consider pattern number one (establish the business objectives) first and then follow the links ...