Model-based definition of requirements to support system verification

Requirements guide the engineering process from a technical and contractual point of view. Verification is the activity that manages the technical specification and provides the activities able to guarantee that the designed and manufactured system is able to fulfil requirements. While many of the engineering activities are increasingly based on models, especially for what concerns analysis by simulation, requirements are still text-based for the largest part. This paper proposes a methodology to manage the requirements as models, linking their distinguishing features to the relevant product objects, attributes, physical parameters and operational conditions. A case study is provided to assess the feasibility of the approach and to clarify the involved issues.