An MDA-based requirements analysis process for service-oriented computing applications

We propose an MDA-based requirements analysis process for Service-Oriented Computing Applications (SOCA). Our process is based on an analysis that identifies the most relevant elements of previous proposed requirements-processes. From the reviewed requirements-processes we identify such elements in terms of phases, activities, products, and roles/viewpoints. We reviewed proposals that include or emphasise the process definition, the definition of products and models, and service-oriented modeling issues. Also, we selected proposals within different research areas, namely Software Engineering (SE), Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), and Service-Oriented Computing (SOC). We carried out such analysis of previous requirements-processes by employing a comparative framework. We also studied some surveys about new proposals that define processes in MDA-based approaches. The main contribution of this work is a general requirements analysis process for SOCA called SOCA-rap that includes its activities and products allocated and grouped over a general development process. This general development process is structured in two dimensions where the first dimension involves four general activities, namely Requirements, Design, Construction, and Operation. The second dimension includes the three MDA models, namely the Computational Independent Model, the Platform Independent Model, and the Platform Specific Model. Additional contributions of this paper include (i) the identification of the phases, activities, products and roles/viewpoints of the processes of previous approaches of requirements analysis, (ii) a comparative framework of such elements, and (iii) the identification of the products included in the MDA models of the general development process.