On the joint use of i∗ with other modelling frameworks: A vision paper

The use of the i∗ (iStar) framework by the requirements engineering community is many-fold. Among the several possible engineering cases, we are particularly interested here in the joint use of i∗ with other modelling frameworks to obtain what we call i∗-based frameworks. In this context, several challenges need to be overcome: theoretical, technical, methodological and community-related. In this paper, we review current i∗-based frameworks under several possible scenarios and observe that not all of these challenges are always addressed, and even more, there is lack of guidelines or well-accepted methodological design steps on how to overcome these issues. Then, we detail the several engineering artifacts and techniques whose consideration in i∗-based frameworks may help to overcome them. To illustrate the vision, we present the case of combining i∗ with data warehouse models, from the initial definition of the ontology to the final implementation using profiles. Finally, we provide a research agenda to apply the proposed vision including a final reflection on defining a maturity model as a convenient way to support forthcoming research in the topic.