Modelling the Political Context in Software Requirements Engineering
Abstract
The influence of stakeholder politics on the outcome of software development projects has
been identified as a major issue in the practice of software Requirements Engineering (RE)
that has been left substantially overlooked in the field and practice of RE. I argue that
politics and power are crucial aspects not just influencing RE but being part of it and
integral components of the process. A practical solution in the form of a notation that will
aid practitioners both to identify explicit and implicit stakeholders and to document the
current state of their degree of support for that project is proposed.
An Emoji pictograms-based notation called Political Emoji Notation (PEN) was created
which is based on an existing well-known visual language, easily adoptable by
requirements engineers. RE professionals will be able to identify and document power,
politics and the emotional aspects that come into play during software requirements-related
decision-making. PEN is intended solely for the use of RE and their team, ensuring
complete confidentiality and avoiding any political engagement with the customer.
The notation is deliberately kept simple, to minimise the learning process and enable
practical use without the need for specialised software for drawing diagrams, and is readily
accessible and user-friendly. The notation underwent testing using two case studies of
unsuccessful software projects well documented in the literature. From the analysis of the
two case studies, a set of symptoms has been identified to identify projects that are at risk.
Finally, the thesis proposes potential directions for future research and work based on the
implementation of this notation.
Publication date
2024-01-15Funding
Default funderDefault project
Other links
http://hdl.handle.net/2299/27760Metadata
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