Whale optimization algorithm for requirements prioritization

Abstract

In software projects, the requirement engineering phase is the base of any project and this phase is concerned in software requirements processes. Stakeholders are the main source of these requirements with respect of constraints and regulations. Requirements prioritization is considered as one of the most significant approach in the requirement engineering process because it is used to prioritize the execution order of requirements with respect to stakeholders' viewpoints. On the other hand, whale optimization algorithm is recently used in optimization problems since it mimics the Humpback whale hunting behavior by employing bubble net hunting technique. In this paper the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is employed in order to prioritize the software requirements by assuming the requirements in the search space and the hunting behavior is implemented to prioritize these requirements, the proposed technique is evaluated in term of running time with analytical hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize different size of requirement's sets, the results shows the RP_WOA outperforms the AHP technique by approximately (40%).