"Requirements engineering is an enabler for quality".

According to the IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board), requirements engineering is the systematic specification and management of requirements with the aim of understanding the needs of the stakeholders and minimizing the risk of developing a system that does not meet these needs. The successful development and evolution of systems or products ultimately depends on thinking in advance about what requirements need to be met and verifying that the system actually meets those needs. We talked about this with Prof. Dr. Samuel Fricker (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland) and Prof. Dr. Martin Glinz (University of Zurich), who are presiding over this year's conference, in which the SAQ is also participating.

Mr. Fricker, Mr. Glinz: Why is requirements engineering so important?

Martin Glinz: Requirements engineering is actually a risk management measure. It's about preventing the development of the wrong product. This means that you have to think about what you actually want to develop in advance in order to be able to communicate a benefit to the users at all. This also plays a major role in agile product development, if you don't want too many iterations to end up in the wastepaper basket. Of course, there is also a close link with quality management: requirements engineering is the enabler for quality.

Samuel Fricker: I experience requirements engineering as a tool for innovation. Innovation is often triggered in order to improve certain qualities of services or products with new approaches. At the moment, for example, I am working on a project that simplifies cybersecurity to such an extent that even small companies that are not involved in IT can handle it. The focus of our work is on designing lightweight interfaces and coordinating requirements with various players in order to be able to guarantee the security of these companies despite or thanks to the simplicity of the solution.

Where do the particular challenges to requirements engineering currently lie?

Martin Glinz: The particular challenges arise where different requirements come together. We can see this in classic systems engineering, for example, which is increasingly software-driven. Requirements engineering has always played a role in systems engineering. With digitization, the complexity of systems is increasing significantly, and with it the importance of requirements engineering.

Samuel Fricker: It is also about the interaction between people and systems. Observing such interactions, combined with feedback from users, creates new opportunities to better understand and learn from the use of systems. A new generation of software-based services has emerged, which have changed entire industries with such data-driven requirements engineering.

About the RE'20 conference: Why is it now being held in Zurich? Because Switzerland is particularly leading in the field of requirements engineering?

Martin Glinz: The venue rotates between America, Europe and the rest of the world. This year it is Europe's turn. The RE Conference Steering Committee solicits bids from potential organizers. We were approached two years ago and were awarded the contract for this year's conference at the end of 2018.

A long run-up that has now been massively disrupted by Corona virtually on the home straight?

Martin Glinz: Indeed. We quickly determined that postponing to a later date was not a viable option. We then decided to stick to the scheduled date and to develop a scenario for both a virtual and a hybrid conference - depending on what the federal government's regulations would then allow. At the moment, a hybrid conference with physical and virtual components seems to be the most likely solution.

Samuel Fricker: The advantage of using the digital channel is that it allows us to reach people we can't reach with a physical meeting. The physical meeting allows networking. With the digital channel, we are accessible to requirements engineering professionals and business analysts who cannot travel. We are also looking into video blogs and discussion forums that will be used beyond the event and enable the advancement of requirements engineering.

Who do you meet at RE'20 and what are the specific topics?

Martin Glinz: The conference is a meeting place for both the academic community in requirements engineering (RE) and RE practitioners in industry. For industry professionals, we hold a separate industry day with a top-class program. Samuel Fricker: RE'20 is aimed at people who are involved in requirements engineering in any way. However, it is not a "basic training" in this field, but aims to disseminate cutting-edge knowledge in RE and stimulate practice with new ideas, also for IREB-certified persons. The Industry Day (program see p. 9, editor's note) builds on the ideas of the former RE Forum of the SAQ.

Can you already give a preview of some of the highlights of the conference?

Martin Glinz: The motto is "Requirements Engineering for a Digital World". This year's keynote speakers will also be following this theme.

Samuel Fricker: We will hear a lot about machine learning and how requirements engineering is changing in the age of artificial intelligence. It is also about dealing with new challenges, for example when systems behave unfairly towards certain user groups. So new questions are coming into focus, where ethics are also involved.

Martin Glinz: The keynotes have also been selected in a correspondingly interdisciplinary manner. They range from ethics and innovation to technical presentations, for example on the agility of business analysis in an industrial context.

Samuel Fricker: And also not to be forgotten - with great relevance for Switzerland: the DSGVO. A lot of work in requirements engineering is currently concerned with how to deal with changed regulatory conditions. This topic is currently very topical.