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Understanding the Influence of Motivation on Requirements Engineering-related Activities

Dulaji Hidellaarachchi, John Grundy, Rashina Hoda, Ingo Mueller

TL;DR

The paper investigates how software practitioners' motivation affects RE-related activities within Agile contexts. Using socio-technical grounded theory and 21 in-depth interviews, it develops a theory that connects context, causal and intervening conditions to the motivation-driven performance of RE tasks, identifying a comprehensive set of motivators, demotivators, and 12 practical strategies. The findings yield actionable guidance for practitioners to foster motivating environments, mitigate demotivating factors, and improve RE outcomes, while outlining directions for future empirical validation across SE contexts. The study contributes a context-sensitive, theory-backed model of motivation in RE and highlights how team dynamics, domain knowledge, and customer interactions shape requirements engineering success. Practically, managers can apply the identified strategies to sustain motivation, enhance collaboration, and achieve higher-quality, timely RE results in Agile projects.

Abstract

Context: Requirements Engineering (RE)-related activities are critical in developing quality software and one of the most human-dependent processes in software engineering (SE). Hence, identifying the impact of diverse human-related aspects on RE is crucial in the SE context. Objective: Our study explores the impact of one of the most influential human aspects, motivation on RE, aiming to deepen understanding and provide practical guidance. Method: By conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 RE-involved practitioners, we developed a theory using socio-technical grounded theory(STGT) that explains the contextual, causal, and intervening conditions influencing motivation in RE-related activities. Result: We identified strategies to enhance motivating situations or mitigate demotivating ones, and the consequences resulting from applying these strategies. Conclusion: Our findings offer actionable insights for software practitioners to manage the influence of motivation on RE and help researchers further investigate its role across various SE contexts in the future.

Understanding the Influence of Motivation on Requirements Engineering-related Activities

TL;DR

The paper investigates how software practitioners' motivation affects RE-related activities within Agile contexts. Using socio-technical grounded theory and 21 in-depth interviews, it develops a theory that connects context, causal and intervening conditions to the motivation-driven performance of RE tasks, identifying a comprehensive set of motivators, demotivators, and 12 practical strategies. The findings yield actionable guidance for practitioners to foster motivating environments, mitigate demotivating factors, and improve RE outcomes, while outlining directions for future empirical validation across SE contexts. The study contributes a context-sensitive, theory-backed model of motivation in RE and highlights how team dynamics, domain knowledge, and customer interactions shape requirements engineering success. Practically, managers can apply the identified strategies to sustain motivation, enhance collaboration, and achieve higher-quality, timely RE results in Agile projects.

Abstract

Context: Requirements Engineering (RE)-related activities are critical in developing quality software and one of the most human-dependent processes in software engineering (SE). Hence, identifying the impact of diverse human-related aspects on RE is crucial in the SE context. Objective: Our study explores the impact of one of the most influential human aspects, motivation on RE, aiming to deepen understanding and provide practical guidance. Method: By conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 RE-involved practitioners, we developed a theory using socio-technical grounded theory(STGT) that explains the contextual, causal, and intervening conditions influencing motivation in RE-related activities. Result: We identified strategies to enhance motivating situations or mitigate demotivating ones, and the consequences resulting from applying these strategies. Conclusion: Our findings offer actionable insights for software practitioners to manage the influence of motivation on RE and help researchers further investigate its role across various SE contexts in the future.
Paper Structure (29 sections, 3 figures, 6 tables)

This paper contains 29 sections, 3 figures, 6 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Research Methodology
  4. Basic Stage of Data Collection and Analysis
  5. Study Preparation and Pilot
  6. Basic Data Collection and Analysis
  7. Advanced Stage of Theory Development
  8. Findings
  9. The Phenomenon - Influence of Motivation on RE-related activities
  10. The Context
  11. Causal Conditions - Practitioners doing RE-related activities in Agile Software Development Projects
  12. Intervening Conditions - Motivating/ Demotivating Factors that impact RE-related activities
  13. Technical Factors
  14. Collaborative & human Factors
  15. Socio-Technical Factors
  16. ...and 14 more sections

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Overview of applying socio-technical grounded theory's basic and advanced stages
  • Figure 2: Example of STGT analysis, moving from raw data to codes to concepts to category, for the category "Technical motivation factors" (The colour coding, "blue, green, yellow" indicates the three different concepts identified analysing the raw data)
  • Figure 3: The theory of the influence of motivation on RE-related activities, derived using Socio-Technical Grounded Theory (STGT) RN1609 and structured using Coding Paradigm strauss1990basics