=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2066/isee2018paper10
|storemode=property
|title=Teaching Domain-Specific Requirements Engineering to Industry: Applying Lego Serious Play to Smart Grids
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2066/isee2018paper10.pdf
|volume=Vol-2066
|authors=Mathias Uslar,Sebastian Hanna
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/se/UslarH18
}}
==Teaching Domain-Specific Requirements Engineering to Industry: Applying Lego Serious Play to Smart Grids==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2066/isee2018paper10.pdf
Teaching Domain-Specific Requirements
Engineering to Industry
Applying Lego Serious Play to Smart Grids
Dr.-Ing. Mathias Uslar Sebastian Hanna
OFFIS – Institute for Information Systems OFFIS – Institute for Information Technology
Department of Energy Department of Energy
26121 Oldenburg, Germany 26121 Oldenburg, Germany
uslar@offis.de hanna@offis.de
Abstract— Within this contribution, we present an approach
developed in order to communicate Smart Grid Systems Engi- II. SMART GRID METHODS: IEC 62559 AND SGAM
neering as well as architecture management to domain-specific For Smart Grid project management purposes, it is im-
industry stakeholders from utilities. The method acts as require- portant to describe use cases and their functionalities in a struc-
ments elicitation process based on Lego Serious Play methods tured and organized way [2, 6]. This process for Smart Grid
alongside the domain specific IEC 62559 use case process. Based
solutions is called use case methodology by EPRI and is speci-
on years of experience applying the classic RQE approaches in
the domain, the methodological background of the new tooling as
fied as a template in the standard IEC 62559-2 by IEC TC 8.
well as the initial decisions for the process to be implemented are
The other three parts of the standard series IEC 62559 – Part 1,
presented. 3, and 4 – classify the Use Case Methodology as well as a pos-
sible tool-support. The IEC 62559-2 is based on a word-
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SCOPE template with a fixed structure of formal information to be
filled out by the requirements engineer and stakeholder and
Within this contribution, we elaborate on the use of Lego
was promoted in the M/490 mandate of the EC. More than 400
Serious Play methods in the context of domain-specific re-
standardized use cases were elicited in the mandate [3, 4].
quirements engineering within the context of industry projects.
However, as it is purely text based, with only use case and se-
The projects under discussion were conducted with industry
quence diagrams, the SGAM was created to show the emerging
stakeholders in the context of Smart Grids. The presented ap-
technical architecture of a use case. The Smart Grid Architec-
proach is an extension to an existing requirements engineering
ture Model (SGAM) has been developed as well in the course
and elicitation method which has been established in the con-
of the EU Mandate M/490 to European standardization organi-
text of Smart Grid Research and Development projects since
zations in order to support the Smart Grid deployment. It was
2009 in the context of a standardization mandate from the Eu-
developed as a part of the reference architecture frame-
ropean Commission to the standardization bodies of CEN/
work during the work of the mandate. There, it is used to
CENELEC and ETSI. While it proved very useful in the initial
identify and characterize the power system domains, with
scope and discussions with standardization experts, the purely
their different zones, and the ICT systems which are relevant
document-based method regarding the elicitation process as a
to this analysis with a special focus on interoperabil-
documentation issue instead of an understanding issue has re-
ity/standardization. ICT systems must be described including
cently become part of the focus of interest.
the relevant technological components (such as storage, pro-
We briefly introduce the IEC 62559 Smart Grid Use Case
cessing power and band-width) and the appropriate ICT objec-
template with its corresponding processes as well as the con-
tives (such as resilience, maintenance, privacy and cyber-
nection to creating architecture models based on the SGAM
security, and interoperability. It is based on the GridWise archi-
model. In addition, we will reflect on the state-of-the-art apply-
tecture council interoperability stack and has proven to be use-
ing those methods and the feedback from the stakeholders in-
ful for fostering architecture discussion. However, issues with
volved. Based on this feedback, an approach to facilitate better
improvable RE quality remained, as discussed by van Vliet [1].
understanding of the requirements has been implemented by
Oftentimes, the different educational background of utility
the authors, taking into account the knowledge management
people and software engineers led to implicit and tacit
dimension of the elicitation process.
knowledge not being documented.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. First,
People from industry thought about architecting as a way of
we briefly introduce the standardized state-of-the-art in Smart
documenting the resulting connectors and components instead
Grid requirements engineering. Afterwards, we elaborate on
of understanding software architecture as a way of document-
the feedback gained and challenges for this very process. Based
ing and sharing important design decisions. For the process of
on the challenges imposed, our approach to deal with them is
understanding the “wicked systems” and their interdependen-
presented, using the Lego Serious Play (LSP) approach as a
cies, a more suitable approach has to be taken by the Engineer.
basis for the elicitation process. The abstract closes with a short
Initial work on software engineering for requirements elicita-
overview on initial conclusions as well as future work to be
tion as well as security analysis has been done by [5]. The au-
done.
ISEE 2018: 1st Workshop on Innovative Software Engineering Education @ SE18, Ulm, Germany 36
thors took that work as a starting point to enhance their current standardized process based on the IEC 62559 word template
best practices of the standardized process for use case man- and the generation of the architecture model using the UCMR
agement at utilities [3, 4]. tool. Initial workshops were set-up and a meaningful set of
bricks were chosen for the participants to work with. As the
III. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY FOR MODELING SMART GRID
original SGAM is color-coded for the various interoperability
ARCHITECTURES
layers, corresponding base plates were chosen. Simple white
The Lego Serious Play (LSP) methodology is a facilitation bricks with tiles act as systems, connectors are created using
methodology created by the LEGO Group, which is available brick chains. Wipe-able pens act as possibilities for labels,
using an Open Source, community based model. color-coding of information objects exchanged exists using
The overarching goal of the methodology is to foster to the white, grey and red 2x4 tiles. Individual layers can be modeled
process creative thinking using team building metaphors of as single time-based workshop items, later, the model is com-
their organizational identities and experiences with LEGO- pleted and all interoperability layers combined to an architec-
compatible bricks. Usually, participants work through imagi- ture model of an SGAM. The feedback from the stakeholders
nary scenarios using visual three-dimensional brick construc- to create their models based on the use cases in word as well
tions, hence the name “serious play”. as using the brick-based LSP method sowed a general higher
interest due to the use of “physical” objects being used. Often-
times, changes did occur to a model which was usually not the
case when a moderator used an UML tool with a beamer in-
stead. As the users quickly build and re-arrange their systems,
data exchanges and responsibilities for a systems and its use in
a business process, more feedback is provided to the require-
ments engineer.
IV. FUTURE WORK AND CONCLUSIONS
Current results show more positive feedback on the process
of the elicitation and, in general, a higher interest in the com-
municating the requirements form the stakeholders. As more
and more workshops are conducted, more empirical data is
gathered for evaluation purposes. Next steps include using so
called misuse cases for security analysis and unintended use of
systems and functions for trying to elicit the non-functional
security requirements the stakeholders have already thought
about.
REFERENCES
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Springer, 2005
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Fig. 1. Setup of the LSP model for the stakeholders. Horizons, September 2015, ComForEn 2015, Vienna, Austria, 2015
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ISEE 2018: 1st Workshop on Innovative Software Engineering Education @ SE18, Ulm, Germany 37