Guideline for the Selection of Requirement Prioritization Techniques in Agile Software Development: An Empirical Research

Abstract

Prioritization is an essential process in any software development. Moreover in Agile, Requirement Prioritization (RP) needs more formal process because it is difficult to maintain priority after requirement change. Changes in the priority list are a continuous process in Agile Software Development (ASD) hence, the ignorance of critical requirements during prioritization will result several problems like unsatisfied client and poor quality of product. Moreover, there is little empirical knowledge on the state of the practice and contemporary problems exist in choosing best prioritization technique after the requirement change in Agile. To achieve this objective a guideline for the selection of RP technique is needed. Hence, the empirical research is used as a methodology for the evaluation of the requirement prioritization techniques practiced in Agile. The aim of this study is to determine RP techniques used in software industry and identify aspect or evaluation criteria to choose the best RP technique according to the environment. This study conducts an empirical study of requirement prioritization after requirement change in Agile, based on the responses from 137 Agile software practitioner representing around 31 organizations in Pakistan. The results reveal the main decision makers in the process of RP, prioritization technique after requirement change in Agile with the evaluation criteria and aspects to perform requirement prioritization. These findings will serve as a foundation to provide a guideline for selecting suitable requirement prioritization techniques in Agile which can help software practitioners to choose appropriate prioritization techniques during the process of requirement change in Agile.