Requirements engineering is the process of discovering, documentingand managing the requirements for a computer-based system. The goalof requirements engineering is to produce a set of systemrequirements which, as far as possible, is complete, consistent,relevant and reflects what the customer actually wants. Althoughthis ideal is probably unattainable, the use of a systematicapproach based on engineering principles leads to betterrequirements than the informal approach which is still commonlyused. This book presents a set of guidelines which reflect the bestpractice in requirements engineering. Based on the authors'experience in research and in software and systems development,these guidelines explain in an easy-to-understand way how you canimprove your requirements engineering processes. The guidelines areapplicable for any type of application and, in general, apply toboth systems and software engineering. The guidelines here rangefrom simple 'common sense' to those which propose the introductionof complex new methods. The guidelines and process improvementschemes have been organised so that you can pick and chooseaccording to your problems, goals and available budget. There arefew dependencies between guidelines so you can introduce them inany order in your organisation. Guidelines presented in thebook * are consistent with ISO 9000 and CMM * are ranked with cost/benefit analysis * give implementation advice * can be combined and applied to suit your organisation'sneeds * are supported by a web page pointing to RE tools and resources