A research methodology in the study of requirements negotiations in geographically distributed software teams

This paper discusses the research methodology used in a study of requirements negotiations in geographically distributed settings. The methodology was based on a multidisciplinary paradigm that considered research methods and models from requirements engineering, soft system methodologies, group research and negotiation literature, and computer supported cooperative work. An integral part of the research methodology was the design of a laboratory study that empirically compared computer-supported distributed requirements negotiations with traditional face-to-face requirements decision meetings. The paper describes the components of the study design in the context of the research methodology, and discusses lessons learned from designing this study. Insights related to the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of RE, the intrinsic tension between control and realism of context in laboratory studies and ways in which the study brought a better understanding of a RE problem are discussed.