Universität zu Köln

Franch, Xavier ORCID: 0000-0001-9733-8830, Mendez, Daniel ORCID: 0000-0003-0619-6027, Vogelsang, Andreas ORCID: 0000-0003-1041-0815, Heldal, Rogardt, Knauss, Eric ORCID: 0000-0002-6631-872X, Oriol, Marc ORCID: 0000-0003-1928-7024, Travassos, Guilherme H., Carver, Jeffrey C. and Zimmermann, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0003-4905-1469 (2022). How do Practitioners Perceive the Relevance of Requirements Engineering Research? IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng., 48 (6). S. 1947 - 1965. LOS ALAMITOS: IEEE COMPUTER SOC. ISSN 1939-3520

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Abstract

Context: The relevance of Requirements Engineering (RE) research to practitioners is vital for a long-term dissemination of research results to everyday practice. Some authors have speculated about a mismatch between research and practice in the RE discipline. However, there is not much evidence to support or refute this perception. Objective: This article presents the results of a study aimed at gathering evidence from practitioners about their perception of the relevance of RE research and at understanding the factors that influence that perception. Method: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of industry practitioners with expertise in RE. The participants rated the perceived relevance of 435 scientific papers presented at five top RE-related conferences. Results: The 153 participants provided a total of 2,164 ratings. The practitioners rated RE research as essential or worthwhile in a majority of cases. However, the percentage of non-positive ratings is still higher than we would like. Among the factors that affect the perception of relevance are the research's links to industry, the research method used, and respondents' roles. The reasons for positive perceptions were primarily related to the relevance of the problem and the soundness of the solution, while the causes for negative perceptions were more varied. The respondents also provided suggestions for future research, including topics researchers have studied for decades, like elicitation or requirement quality criteria. Conclusions: The study is valuable for both researchers and practitioners. Researchers can use the reasons respondents gave for positive and negative perceptions and the suggested research topics to help make their research more appealing to practitioners and thus more prone to industry adoption. Practitioners can benefit from the overall view of contemporary RE research by learning about research topics that they may not be familiar with, and compare their perception with those of their colleagues to self-assess their positioning towards more academic research.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Franch, Xavier UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-9733-8830 UNSPECIFIED Mendez, Daniel UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-0619-6027 UNSPECIFIED Vogelsang, Andreas UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1041-0815 UNSPECIFIED Heldal, Rogardt UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Knauss, Eric UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-6631-872X UNSPECIFIED Oriol, Marc UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1928-7024 UNSPECIFIED Travassos, Guilherme H. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Carver, Jeffrey C. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Zimmermann, Thomas UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-1469 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-691286
DOI:	10.1109/TSE.2020.3042747
Journal or Publication Title:	IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng.
Volume:	48
Number:	6
Page Range:	S. 1947 - 1965
Date:	2022
Publisher:	IEEE COMPUTER SOC
Place of Publication:	LOS ALAMITOS
ISSN:	1939-3520
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Computer Science, Software Engineering; Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/69128