First Prototype APOSDLE

This document reports on the “First Prototype APOSDLE”, an available prototype system which is running on dedicated project servers. This document describes the main features of this prototype, giving also insight into development issues without the need of having access to the actual prototype.

According the Description of Work the First Prototype APOSDLE is subdivided into five Deliverables (D I.2, D II.2, D III.2, D IV.2, D V.2). This document combines all these deliverables into a single document, thus making it easier to access information about the prototype in its entirety. However, each deliverable denotes exactly one chapter in the document:

Work & Modelling Tools – WP I

Learning Tools – WP II

Collaboration Tools – WP III

Platform (Integrated Knowledge Structure Part) – WP IV

Platform (Semantic Spaces Part) – WP V

In addition to these work package specific chapters, there are two chapters which are common to all work packages, one illustrating a guided tour through the prototype from the view of an end user, another one giving a brief summary of the underlying system architecture as a reference to the individual software components.

The overall objective of the first prototype is to provide a first integration of the prototypes from individual work packages into one APOSDLE environment to be used by (software) engineers while working, learning, and collaborating on issues regarding requirements elicitation in their work environment.

The development follows a rapid prototype approach, a process of quickly putting together a working model in order to test various aspects of a design, illustrate ideas or features and gather early user feedback. The idea behind producing first prototypes quickly is to be able to improve the APOSDLE concepts and methods with feedback from the application partners as soon as possible – thereby producing better final results.

This first prototype is not designed to be embedded into the actual work environment of end users (our application partners), such as interfacing with existing file services, legacy databases or e-mail repositories. It uses one predetermined application/learning domain: Requirements Elicitation (i.e. how can APOSDLE support people who perform requirements elicitation). This includes that the first APOSDLE prototype is an environment which supports the work of a requirements engineer or project manager, supports their learning needs and their collaboration situations. Predominantly knowledge about RESCUE, CityUniversity’s research-oriented requirements process, is delivered within the first prototype based on existing training materials.

Overall this first prototype is an important milestone in the APOSDLE project. It will be used for the formative evaluation process where a small group of users will be selected to use the prototype under laboratory conditions.