Towards the selection of Optimum Requirements Prioritization Technique: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Requirement Prioritization (RP) bears a sheer significance in requirements engineering. It is deployed to rank the requirements for subsequent release in their respective order based on predefined criteria. Software systems primarily get more complex accompanying size of requirements. In most cases, it is not possible to consider all requirements due to limited time and resources. Thus, requirements need to be prioritized correctly according to their importance. Quality of software to be developed greatly depends upon the order of requirements. Many studies reveal, no single RP technique can be labeled as best for all applications. Hence there is a need to analyze the available RP techniques to identify most favorable one in a given context. In this paper, a comparative analysis of ten leading RP techniques have been performed, based on some key factors like RP scales, complexity, scalability, customizability, accuracy, suitable dataset and handling risk factor. Strengths and weaknesses of these techniques have been analyzed and discussed. A case study is also incorporated as an example of selection of most suitable RP technique. This study contributes in selection of most appropriate RP technique in a particular scenario.