Two Requirements Scenarios That Trigger Human Errors in Software Development: A Case Study in the Aviation Industry

Software requirements specifications play a critical role in ensuring the reliability of software systems. This paper examines how two novel requirements scenarios-Selectivity and Post-completion Error-can trigger developers to introduce defects into programs. These scenarios are grounded in psychological theories of human error and are not addressed by conventional requirements quality standards. A case study was conducted to investigate whether and how these human errorbased criteria manifest in real-world aviation industry projects. The study analyzed ten aviation-related software systems, with defect data collected by an independent third-party testing center during certification tests. The results indicate that violations of the proposed criteria in requirements specifications do, in fact, lead to corresponding errors during the design and coding phases. Based on these findings, we recommend incorporating these two criteria to proactively prevent and detect software defects.