Requirements engineering (RE) has established as a critical area in software and systems engineering, as many systems fail due to poorly understood, ill-defined or ill-conceived requirements. Much of the same concepts and techniques could potentially be applied to services, with the benefit of systematic methods and scientific inquiry. However, service orientation introduces many new challenges. Service providers and service users interact online. Knowledge is created and exchanged among customers and suppliers. Instead of a single set of requirements on a technical system, there are networks of providers and users, each with requirements and expectations on each other – some based on tacit social conventions, and each with requirements on their technical IT systems. Service design and operation often proceed in parallel, as new knowledge and experiences are incorporated into service systems and processes on an ongoing basis, which requires much more automated and adaptive facilities. Automated processes are richly interwoven with human action, decision, and judgment. Some of the interactions will adhere to open standards, while others may be informally negotiated. There are highly dynamic on-the-fly network configurations as well as long-term stable relationships.

To continue the ongoing discussions from the REFS 2007, 2008 and 2009 workshop amongst active researchers and practitioners all over the world, we expect to again gather enthusiastic participants this year in Seoul, who will take the opportunity to share their knowledge in intensive informal discussion to develop new ideas, new strategies and new collaborations on relevant topics: What existing and new requirements engineering methods and techniques are suitable for a service oriented environment? What adaptations, extensions or re-conceptualizations will be needed? How can requirements engineering contribute to a new discipline of smart services engineering and management? Will service orientation lead to a rethinking of the field of requirements engineering? These are some of the key questions to be explored at this workshop.

Important Dates Paper Abstract Submission: March 1, 2010
Full Paper Submission: March 7, 2010
Paper Notification: March 30, 2010
Camera Ready Paper Submission and Author Registration: April 30, 2010