Semi-Automated Classification of Arabic User Requirements into Functional and Non-Functional Requirements using NLP Tools

Abstract

Functional and non-functional requirements are equally important in software engineering. Both of them are mixed together within the same software requirement document. Usually, they are expressed in natural languages. So, a lot of human effort is required to classify them. Software requirements classification is a challenging task. Requirements classification can help developers to deliver quality software that meets users' expectations completely. In this paper, we present a Semi-Automated classification approach of Arabic functional and non-functional requirements using a natural language processing (NLP) tool. We propose a set of heuristics based on basic constructs of Arabic sentences in order to extract information from Arabic software requirements to classify the requirements into functional and non-functional requirements. This research aims to help software engineers by reducing the cost and time required in performing manual classification of software requirements.