Big Ears (The Return of "Easy Approach to Requirements Engineering")

During a previous study, five simple templates were proposed to improve the quality of Natural Language requirements. That study applied the Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax (EARS) templates to the requirements for the certification of an aero engine control system contained in an airworthiness regulatory document. This paper reports on a wider series of experiments, which applied the templates to several different sets of requirement documents. Back-to-back comparisons were undertaken for documents before and after the application of the EARS templates. During these studies the templates were refined, known limitations of EARS were addressed and metrics were collected. The results strongly support the hypothesis that a small set of simple requirement structures would be an efficient way to enhance the writing of high-level stakeholder requirements. The implications of the results are discussed and additional guidance is provided through Lessons Learned, with the aim of making the templates easier to apply.