Required Changes in Requirements Engineering Approaches for Socio-Cyber-Physical Systems

Requirements engineering has been mainly focused on software development, which represents relatively homogenous, stable and predictable cyber space. But even there, problems in requirements (e.g., changing, missing or irrelevant requirements) are considered as main reasons for project failure. Entering a new era of socio-cyber-physical systems, which are complex, heterogeneous systems of systems, will make requirements engineering even more challenging. Not only it is a standard practice that requirements change and evolve, and new requirements emerge frequently during the system life cycle. In socio-cyberphysical systems, requirements cannot be defined just for the cyber space, but must cover also the socio and physical spaces. There are also highly complex interrelationships, interactions and impacts between components of systems that can lead to unexpected and even unacceptable consequences in system structure and behaviour. One of the promising approaches supporting adaptability and emergency of systems is continuous requirements engineering, based on agility, flexibility and emergence. Therefore it is necessary to identify gaps in existing requirements engineering practices with respect to socio-cyber-physical systems and to propose required adjustments and enhancements in requirements engineering process.