Visualizing changing requirements with self-organizing maps

This paper explores categorizing and visualizing changing software system requirements through self-organizing neural maps. We present a field study that explores resulting visualizations and traces requirements through three project phases. The visualization models were applied to an ongoing e-commerce project where evolving business models and changing plans forced a requirements team to continually assess impacts of change. Analysts labeled requirements within twenty-seven input dimensions. Self-organizing maps (SOM) were then generated to cluster requirements and to present visual models of change. SOM enhanced organization and traceability of business issues, use-case documents, and project concerns.