A systematic literature review of stakeholder identification methods in requirements elicitation

This paper presents a systematic review of relevant published studies related to topics in Requirements Engineering, specifically, concerning stakeholder identification methods in requirements elicitation, dated from 1984 to 2011. Addressing four specific research questions, this systematic literature review shows the following evidence gathered from these studies: current status of stakeholder identification in software requirement elicitation, the best practices recommended for its performance, consequences of incorrect identification in requirements quality, and, aspects which need to be improved. Our findings suggest that the analyzed approaches still have serious limitations in terms of covering all aspects of stakeholder identification as an important part of requirements elicitation. However, through correctly identifying and understanding the stakeholders, it is possible to develop high quality software.

► We analyzed relevant studies related to the stakeholder identification methods in software requirements elicitation. ► We show the current status, best practices, consequences of incorrect identification, and aspects to be improved. ► The studies analyzed have serious limitations to cover aspects of stakeholder identification in requirements elicitation. ► Through correctly identifying and understanding the stakeholders, it is possible to develop high quality software.