This document summarizes a systematic review of strategic release planning models. The review investigated 24 models that were presented in academic papers. It analyzed the models' requirements selection factors, degree of empirical validation, and whether they were intended for market-driven or bespoke software development. The review found that most models focus on technical constraints and have been validated through case studies, but validation through large industry projects is limited. It recommends model makers increase validation of soft factors and model users carefully consider a model's validation before using it.

1. A S Y S T E M AT I C
R E V I E W O N
S T R AT E G I C
R E L E A S E P L A N N I N G
M O D E L S
B Y M I K A E L S V A H N B E R G E T A L .
P R E S E N T E D B Y : P O U N E H M O G H I M I

2. S E C T I O N S
• Objective
• Introduction
• Research questions
• Planning
• Execution and results
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Recommendations

3. O B J E C T I V E
Investigating:
• Thus far proposed strategic release planning models
• Their degree of empirical validation
• Their factors for requirements selection
• whether they are intended for a bespoke or market-driven software
development

4. I N T R O D U C T I O N

5. W H AT I S S T R AT E G I C R E L E A S E
P L A N N I N G ?
• Sometimes referred to as “road-mapping”
• Selection or assignment of requirements in sequence of releases such that important
constraints are fulfilled
• Guides a product’s evolution and keeps the product aligned with company strategies by
selecting the right requirements
• Its purpose is to balance between competing stakeholders’ demands and benefits for the
developing organisation according to available resources
• Can be refined by feedback from customers, defects in the previous release, market factors,
new customer demands and other technical and non-technical constraints
• operational release planning focuses on the development of the identified features in a
single software release

6. R E Q U I R E M E N
T S
S E L E C T I O N
F A C T O R S
Technical factors
• development tools
• existing system architecture
• quality requirements (like security, performance, maintainability)
• requirements volatility, reusability and interdependencies between
requirements
Non-technical factors
• Company and business strategy
• product value
• stakeholder value
• priority of requirements set by stakeholders
• required and available effort to implement requirements
• delivery time of release
• development cost estimation

7. R E S E A R C H
Q U E S T I O N S
RQ1: What strategic release planning models
have been presented?
RQ2: What technical and non-technical
requirements selection factors are discussed in
models found through RQ1?
RQ3: To what extent have the strategic release
planning models in RQ1 been validated?
RQ4: Are the models from RQ1 intended to be
used in a market-driven or a bespoke context?

8. P L A N N I N G

9. S E A R C H S T R AT E G Y

10. I N C L U S I O N / E X C L U S I O N C R I T E R I A
Basic: Detailed:
• Title
• abstract

11. Q U A L I T Y A S S E S S M E N T

12. E X E C U T I O N A N D
R E S U LT S

13. Two literature resources:
• electronic databases
• one journal

14. A N A LY S I S

15. R Q 1 . W H A T
S T R A T E G I C
R E L E A S E P L A N N I N G
M O D E L S H A V E B E E N
P R E S E N T E D ?
• 28 studies  24 models  14 original models
• EVOLVE family is the largest

16. R Q 2 . W H A T T E C H N I C A L A N D N O N - T E C H N I C A L
R E Q U I R E M E N T S S E L E C T I O N F A C T O R S A R E
D I S C U S S E D I N M O D E L S F O U N D T H R O U G H R Q 1 ?

17. R Q 3 . T O W H A T E X T E N T H A V E T H E
S T R A T E G I C R E L E A S E P L A N N I N G M O D E L S I N
R Q 1 B E E N V A L I D A T E D ?

18. R Q 4 . A R E T H E M O D E L S F R O M R Q 1 I N T E N D E D
T O B E U S E D I N A M A R K E T - D R I V E N O R A
B E S P O K E C O N T E X T ?
• Most of the models provide decision support regarding requirements’
selection for market-driven software development
• 83% of the models are considered to be useful for both bespoke and
market-driven software development
• The remaining 17% are appropriate only for market-driven software
development

19. C O N C L U S I O N

20. • 24 strategic release planning models have been presented in academic
papers. 16 of these belong to the EVOLVE-family of release planning models.
• Most methods focus on a limited set of requirements selection factors, with an
emphasis on hard constraints. Approximately 58% of the models also include
soft factors.
• Most of the presented models are validated, approximately half in industry and
half in academia, and a large majority with the help of case studies (80%).
Validation on full scale industry projects is scarce.
• All models are intended for market-driven software development. All but two
models can also be used for bespoke software development.

21. R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

22. For model makers:
• increased attention on soft factors and to empirically validate the models.
For model users:
• the level of empirical validation of models should be carefully analysed before
deciding to use
• define which requirements selection factors are needed

23. Summary