Quality of software requirements specification in agile projects: A cross-case analysis of six companies

Agile Software Development (ASD) has several limitations concerning its requirements engineering activities. Improving the quality of Software Requirements Specifications (SRSs) in ASD may help to gain a competitive advantage in the software industry. Based on the findings of a Systematic Mapping study, six industrial case studies in different contexts were conducted to investigate and characterize the requirements specification activity in ASD. Data collected from documents, observations, and interviews with software engineers were triangulated, analyzed, and synthesized using Grounded Theory and Meta-Ethnography. The analysis and cross-synthesis of the six case studies resulted in a model describing the phenomenon. This model defines the simplicity and objectivity as essential quality factors of SRSs in ASD. The main factors that affect the SRSs quality in ASD projects are related to their customer-driven nature that leads to prolix SRSs, hindering its understanding from the developer perspective. The emerged model is supported by explanations and provides a deeper understanding of the requirements specification activity in ASD. This creates opportunities for further studies and improvements in SRSs for ASD in industry.