Leveraging LLMs for the Quality Assurance of Software Requirements

TL;DR

This paper explores how Large Language Models can assist in evaluating and improving software requirements quality, aiming to support stakeholders and reduce development costs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of LLMs for assessing and enhancing software requirements based on ISO standards, validated through a study with engineers.

Findings

LLMs can effectively evaluate requirements quality.

LLMs can explain their assessment decisions.

LLMs can suggest improved requirement versions.

Abstract

Successful software projects depend on the quality of software requirements. Creating high-quality requirements is a crucial step toward successful software development. Effective support in this area can significantly reduce development costs and enhance the software quality. In this paper, we introduce and assess the capabilities of a Large Language Model (LLM) to evaluate the quality characteristics of software requirements according to the ISO 29148 standard. We aim to further improve the support of stakeholders engaged in requirements engineering (RE). We show how an LLM can assess requirements, explain its decision-making process, and examine its capacity to propose improved versions of requirements. We conduct a study with software engineers to validate our approach. Our findings emphasize the potential of LLMs for improving the quality of software requirements.