Requirements Engineering for Innovative Software Ecosystems: A Research Preview

[Context and motivation] In order to stay competitive in the Digital Transformation era, many organizations are engaging in innovative software ecosystems (SES). However, there is a lack of specific methods for tackling SES engineering challenges. [Question/problem] This paper presents a Requirements Engineering (RE) decision framework and a process for guiding key SES partners in the process of shaping their SES. [Principal ideas/results] Both the framework and the process build upon the results of a literature review and interviews with practitioners, and have undergone a preliminary qualitative evaluation. [Contribution] The systematic approach for shaping SES together with an explicit and clear definition of its application context will enable practitioners and researchers to apply it and/or translate it to other application contexts.