Capturing the Semantics of Quality Requirements into an Intermediate Predesign Model

We present an approach to capturing the semantics of quality requirements in an intermediate predesign step residing between quality requirements elicitation and conceptual design. We propose Quality-Aware Predesign Model (QAPM) to be used at this step. In this model, the problem domain is viewed as a set of concerns. Out of this set, concerns related to quality are separated from those related to the main functionality of the system. Quality concerns are represented by hierarchical quality models incorporating quality characteristics and indicators. The semantics of both functional and quality concerns is modeled using Klagenfurt Conceptual Predesign Model (KCPM) concepts with necessary modifications. On basis of this, QAPM offers the set of concepts to represent the semantics of crosscutting relationships between the concerns.