Modelling ethnographic analyses for records via Tacit Contracts

This paper advocates an approach to requirements analysis drawing on social scientific research strategies (Ethnography) and model based engineering (MBE). Our work is aimed at bridging the gap between applied ethnographic reports and the early stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Taking a view on how we think data should be represented at the requirements level, we demonstrate an approach to modeling and documenting requirement-centric ethnographic reports based on linguistic statements and human behaviour. The work is particularly oriented towards documenting requirements for `data´. We make an arguement on what types of information should be included in requirements level data schemas. Our methodology looks at an established ethnographic study in order to elucidate problems that you find with standard requirements models. Our solution is to extend UML with so called Tacit Contracts that enhance requirements-level data schemas by highlighting tacit information to do with the composition and characteristics of the data being described. The tacit contract then requires system designers at latter phases of the SDLC to also take into account information expressed as tacit in the requirements models when making design decisions about the system.