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.