The Impact of Knowledge Sharing Platforms in Distributed Requirements Engineering Scenarios: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Knowledge sharing platforms promised to solve a number of challenges that complicate requirements engineering activities in globally distributed software engineering efforts. A systematic review of empirical studies of the impact of such knowledge sharing platforms up to and including 2011 was conducted. The selected search strategy identified 511 studies, of which 17 were identified as suitable empirical studies. The studies were evaluated according to the presented knowledge sharing platform, the requirements engineering setting as well as to the reported impact on the requirements engineering processes. This systematic review investigates what is currently known about the evidence for positive and negative impacts of knowledge sharing platforms in requirements engineering processes. The main finding of this systematic review is that currently little empirical data on knowledge sharing platforms and their use in requirements engineering processes is available and further empirical research is necessary.