Fuzzy quality function deployment based methodology for acquiring enterprise software selection requirements

In many software acquisition methods, functional software requirements are resolved, but non-functional requirements are more or less deliberately put aside. A large body of research exists on the necessity of handling specific non-functional requirements as major drivers in the software development process. However, prior research does not provide adequate support for managing non-functional requirements in the software selection process, and suggests a unique technique and methodology for identifying the selection criteria. This paper presents a fuzzy quality function deployment approach for determining which of the non-functional requirements reported by earlier studies are important to a company’s software selection decision based on and integrated with its functional requirements. The solution provided in this study not only assists decision makers in acquiring software requirements and defining selection criteria, but also supports determining the relative importance of these criteria. An actual case in Audio Electronics of Turkey’s electronic industry demonstrates the feasibility of applying the proposed framework in practice.