Feature Integration in Requirements Engineering

Background A feature is a small modification or extension of a
system, which usually the user perceives as having a
self-contained functional role.
Feature integration is the process by which the
requirements of a feature are `integrated' into the specification
of the system.

This kind of incremental system development raises questions about
the compatibility of successive feature integrations; this has
become known as the "Feature Interaction Problem". The
Feature Interaction Problem has received a lot of attention in the
field of telecommunications, where new services are constantly
developed and deployed.


Objectives
FIREworks will develop feature-oriented specification methods, in which
features are treated as `first-class citizens' and which will address the
potential conflicts between features.


Deliverables
The aim of FIREworks is to provide a method with which companies can build
products by taking an existing product and adding, removing, or respecifying
some features. Such a method will consist of feature-oriented specification
languages and suitable validation tools.