Versarequire

Versarequire is a formal notation and process for expressing software requirements with explicit version constraints. It enables teams to model how requirements evolve across product versions, supporting traceability, impact analysis, and release planning. The approach combines elements of requirements engineering with product line engineering, adding version-aware predicates and relationships.

Origin and scope: The term versarequire is used in hypothetical discussions and educational contexts to illustrate how requirements can be mapped to multiple releases. It is not a single de facto standard, but a framework described in case studies and theoretical work that seek to formalize version-aware requirements.

Core concepts: Versarequire introduces versioned predicates, dependency and conflict relations, version graphs, and maturation tags. A versarequire specification attaches to a requirement an identifier, a description, and a set of version constraints, such as applicable to versions 1.0 and newer or limited to 2.x releases. Relationships in versarequire resemble those in traditional requirement management but are annotated with version information. Common relations include depends-on, excludes, and implies, each qualified by version ranges, enabling precise impact analysis when a version is updated or retired.

Modeling and tooling: Versarequire specifications can be stored in text files or integrated into requirement management systems, enabling automated validation, traceability matrices, and linkage to test cases by version. Some teams export versarequire data to standard interchange formats where possible.

Applications and limitations: It is intended for product line engineering, regulated environments, and complex release planning. However, lack of standardization and tooling means interoperability is limited, and teams must invest in disciplined version notation and consistent maintenance.