Understanding the Influence of Motivation on Requirements Engineering-related Activities

Motivation has been identified as one of the key human aspects for software practitioners involved in Software Engineering (SE) activities to complete their tasks successfully. While prior research on motivation in SE exists, empirical studies on its influence specifically on RE are limited. As requirements engineering (RE)-related activities are a highly human-dependent phase of SE; it is important to identify how motivation influences RE. This study aims to identify the influence of motivation on RE, provide a better understanding of its effects, and offer guidance on how to handle them. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 RE-involved software practitioners, we developed a preliminary theoretical framework using socio-technical grounded theory (STGT) to explain the influence of motivation on RE. Our framework attempts to explain the contextual, causal, and intervening conditions that can give rise to or mediate the influence of motivation on RE. Furthermore, we have discovered a set of strategies that can enhance motivating situations or mitigate demotivating ones and the consequences resulting from applying these strategies. Our findings will benefit software practitioners by offering guidance on managing the influence of motivation on RE and assist researchers in refining and exploring our theoretical framework for diverse SE contexts in the future.