PREPRINT – accepted for publication at the 34th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)
2026
On the JI-RADAR: Uncovering Sustainability Tool Support for Requirements Engineering Marco Stadler (Johannes Kepler University Linz, LIT Secure and Correct Systems Lab / Institute of Business Informatics – Software Engineering; [email protected]) Pascal Taurer (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Institute of Business Informatics – Software Engineering; ) Johannes Sametinger (Johannes Kepler University Linz, LIT Secure and Correct Systems Lab / Institute of Business Informatics – Software Engineering; [email protected]) Wesley K.G. Assunção (North Carolina State University, Department of Computer Science; [email protected])
arXiv:2606.29439v1 [cs.SE] 28 Jun 2026
Michael Riegler (ENGEL Austria GmbH, Information Security; [email protected]) Michael Vierhauser (University of Innsbruck, Department of Computer Science; [email protected]) Iris Groher (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Institute of Business Informatics – Software Engineering; [email protected]) DOI: TBA remains limited [4]. To address this gap, we introduce JI-RADAR, which supports Context: Software-intensive systems are integral to nearly all facets of modern society [11]. Consequently, both their sustain- stakeholders involved in system design (e.g., developers, ability and their role in facilitating sustainable processes must requirements engineers, project managers, and usability engibe established by design [10, 9]. Software sustainability is de- neers) [7] by providing practical tools to integrate sustainability fined as “the preservation of the long-term and beneficial use of into the RE process. We extend the widely used Atlassian Jira software, and its appropriate evolution, in a context that continu- platform [3] by implementing a ready-to-use plugin that can be ously changes” [10]. Sustainability in Requirements Engineering directly adopted in industrial practice. (RE) is commonly structured along five dimensions: Environment referring to the broader ecological effects, Technical covering 2 The JI-RADAR Tool implementation, maintenance, and long-term usability, Social de- Methodology: The JIRA Dashboard for Assessing Sustainability scribing the integration within communities and impact on society, Requirements (JI-RADAR) is built on the widely adopted project Economic concerned with the business-related factors, and finally, management and issue-tracking tool “Jira” [3] and is designed to Individual pertaining to an individual’s well-being, safety, and systematically capture, assess, and trace sustainability-related imprivacy [9, 4, 7, 10]. One common approach for integrating sus- pacts. It leverages Jira’s agile development features, in particular tainability into the RE process is the Sustainability Awareness Scrum capabilities (backlog, sprint planning, etc.), and extends Framework (SuSAF) [7]. SuSAF aims to raise awareness of the default components (User Stories, Issues, etc.) with functionalsustainability effects of software systems within their intended ity to support sustainability considerations at both the process context. It provides guidance, instructions, and questions that and issue level. To align with Jira’s agile aspects, we reuse the support stakeholder discussions during interviews and workshops SustainScrum extensions introduced in our previous works [11]. throughout the RE process [7]. In this work, we integrated sustainability considerations into the RE Problem & Motivation: Regulatory initiatives increas- agile development process through additional artifacts and activingly require (software) organizations to integrate sustainability ities using Software Engineering Methods and Theory (SEMAT into their day-to-day business and operational processes. The kernel) [8]. A central element of SustainScrum is the SustainUnited Nations 2030 Agenda formulated 17 Sustainable Develop- ability Management Model (SuMM), which serves as the primary ment Goals (SDGs) [12], while the EU passed the Corporate Sus- source for sustainability-related decision-making. SuMM repretainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires companies sents a weighted decision matrix in which the previously defined to publish and audit sustainability-related information [1]. Regula- sustainability dimensions from SusAF provide the context for tions and laws require organizations in the software development stakeholders’ priorities. Key Elements: Fig. 1 provides an overview of the key artifacts sector to disclose both qualitative and quantitative sustainability metrics, among other obligations [11]. Consequently, integrating from SustainScrum used in JI-RADAR. The SuMM provides the sustainability reporting processes into the software development relevant dimensions and weight configurations from the stakelife cycle becomes increasingly important. RE processes often lack holders, which form the basis for subsequent sustainability assesssystematic methods to elicit, analyze, and prioritize sustainability ments and evaluations. requirements alongside functional and non-functional requireBased on this, Sustainability Needs can be derived and prements, and studies indicate that tool support for this integration sented in an easy-to-read, understandable format, i.e., Sustainabil-
1 Introduction
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PREPRINT – accepted for publication at the 34th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE) 1
Sustainability Management Model (SuMM)
Jira Backlog
User Story
Sustainability Need
Sprint Execution
Product KPI Report
2 Stakeholder
3
Sustainability Story Sprint KPI Report
Figure 1: Key Elements of SustainScrum incorporated in JI-RADAR.
ity Stories, using the same format as User Stories, however, specifically targeting sustainability-related stakeholder needs, serving as traceable justification and requirements artifacts. In addition, mappings between Sustainability Stories and the SuMM dimensions can be represented, and stakeholder decisions (pertaining to sustainability-relevant functionality) are documented, ensuring that negotiated priorities remain transparent and traceable. Finally, Sprint KPI Reports and aggregated Product KPI Reports can be created. The Sprint KPI Report provides an indicator matrix for the sprint scope, while the Product KPI Report aggregates indicators across a release scope. KPI reports aggregate the evaluated stories at the sprint and release/product levels. Implementation: JI-RADAR is implemented as a Jira plugin and can be installed on any Jira instance directly via a single-click console-link installation (cf. GitHub). The high-level architecture of JI-RADAR is shown in Fig. 2. Stakeholders 1 interact with the standard Jira User Interface 2 to set up the SuMM, define the Sustainability Stories, and analyze generated reports. These interactions trigger serverless functions in the Forge App Runtime 3 (Resolvers) via the Atlassian Cloud API 4 . The SuMM and other plugin-related data are stored on a Storage component on the Atlassian Cloud. Proof-of-Concept Evaluation and Results: As initial evidence of JI-RADAR’s usability, we conducted a pilot user study (𝑁 = 4) in the form of semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to test and execute certain tasks related to the developed tool and, afterward, to comment on the tool’s usability and the systematic support for sustainability assessment. Participants reported that the tool significantly improved both the capture and assessment of sustainability information, with both aspects scoring a median of 4.5 of 5.
3 Related Work The need for technical solutions to support sustainability frameworks, like SuSAF, has led to several prototype tools. SuSoftPro [2] is a web-based tool for requirements engineers that uses Fuzzy Rating Scales and the TOPSIS method to provide a quantitative analysis of requirements’ impacts. SusApp [6], designed specifically for SusAF, simplifies the documentation and visualization of
2026 Jira User Inferface
4 Forge App Runtime
API
Resolver
Storage
CLOUD
Figure 2: High-level overview of JI-RADAR’s architecture.
sustainability effects and automates the generation of SusAD diagrams. Scrum Sustainability Poker [5], inspired by the traditional planning poker method, facilitates team discussions during backlog refinement to estimate the potential sustainability impacts of individual user stories. Despite these developments, practitioners have identified a significant gap in tool integration [4]. Managing sustainability data in standalone applications alongside primary project management tools is often perceived as cumbersome. JIRADAR contributes to this gap by integrating sustainability into Atlassian Jira.
4 Conclusion In this paper, we present JI-RADAR, a tool for integrating sustainability metrics directly into (agile) RE. It demonstrates that tool support can effectively bridge the gap between abstract regulatory reporting requirements (such as the CSRD) and day-to-day development workflows without forcing stakeholders to abandon established platforms like Jira.
References [1] Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Dec. 2022. http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2464/oj. [2] A. D. Alharthi, M. Spichkova, and M. Hamilton. SuSoftPro: Sustainability Profiling for Software. In 26th International Requirements Engineering Conference, pages 500–501, 2018. [3] Atlassian. Jira | Project Management for the AI Era | Atlassian, 2026. [4] P. Bambazek, I. Groher, and N. Seyff. Application of the Sustainability Awareness Framework in Agile Software Development. In 31st International Requirements Engineering Conference, pages 264–274, 2023. [5] P. Bambazek, T. Hofer, and I. Groher. Scrum sustainability poker: Assessing the sustainability effects of user stories in agile software development. In REFSQ-2024 Workshops, 2024. [6] M. Basmer, T. Kehrer, and B. Penzenstadler. SusAF Welcomes SusApp: Tool Support for the Sustainability Awareness Framework. In 29th International Requirements Engineering Conference, pages 418–419, 2021. [7] S. Betz, B. Penzenstadler, L. Duboc, R. Chitchyan, S. A. Kocak, I. Brooks, S. Oyedeji, J. Porras, N. Seyff, and C. C. Venters. Lessons Learned from Developing a Sustainability Awareness Framework for Software Engineering Using Design Science. ACM Trans. on Software Engineering and Methodology, 33(5):1–39, June 2024. [8] I. Jacobson, P.-W. Ng, P. E. McMahon, I. Spence, and S. Lidman. The essence of software engineering: the semat kernel. Communications of the ACM, 55(12):42–49, 2012. [9] P. Lago, N. Condori Fernandez, I. Fatima, M. Funke, and I. Malavolta. The sustainability assessment framework toolkit: a decade of modeling experience. Software and Systems Modeling, 24-2:361–383, 2025. [10] P. Lago and I. Malavolta. A New Vision on Software Sustainability and Its Engineering. IEEE Software, 43(1):119–123, Jan. 2026. [11] A. Mazak-Huemer, M. Vierhauser, and I. Groher. SustainScrum: integrating sustainability assessment in a tailored Scrum process for computing quantitative sustainability indicators. Software and Systems Modeling, 24(2):385–410, Apr. 2025. [12] United Nations. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Oct. 2015.
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PREPRINT – accepted for publication at the 34th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE) Annex
2026
In the Annex, we further outline how we intend to present JIRADAR at the RE conference. Data availability: JI-RADAR’s code, together with further instructions for installation and for building the plugin from source, is publicly available on GitHub.1 Video showcase: We uploaded a video showcasing the steps outlined below to YouTube.2 For the live demo, we plan to hand out a laptop to interested parties and guide them through the four steps while they experience the tool hands-on. We structure the presentation of JI-RADAR into three steps: Step 0: Installation – In the first part, we will briefly explain and demonstrate what the stakeholders and users are required to do in order to install JI-RADAR before it can be used in a Jira instance.
Figure 3: Installation page for our plugin with the one-click installation button.
Step 1: Setup – In this part, we will showcase how JI-RADAR can be configured and tailored to a given use case and project setup.
and during sprints. Not every sustainability dimension is equally important for every project, stakeholder, or use case. JI-RADAR thus allows adaptation of the dimensions and their importance to specific stakeholder needs. This is done using SuMM dimensions Step 2: Assessment of Jira Artifacts – In the second part, we will and weights. demonstrate the core features of JI-RADAR. This includes The SuMM Configuration (located in the drop-down menu) is a detailed description of how the tool can be used during used to customize JI-RADAR and to define project-specific susthe day-to-day business of RE and how and where it tainability focus points. In the SuMM Configuration menu, we can extends Jira. select which dimensions to include or exclude when evaluating Step 3: Reporting – In the last part, we explain which insights and documenting the sustainability impacts of Jira artifacts. It is and reports JI-RADAR can produce to analyze, synthesize, also possible to assign weights to the dimensions. This configuration step is depicted in Fig. 4. For instance, if privacy plays a more and plan next steps. prominent role in a financial software application, it makes sense 4.1 Step 0: Installation to increase the weight of the “individual” domain to emphasize Since JI-RADAR is a Jira plugin, a Jira instance is required to install this factor in the calculation of the sustainability impacts and it. For this, an Atlassian account must be created. Afterward, a KPIs. For every artifact involved in a sustainability assessment, the Jira workspace can be created. For the live presentation, we will set up multiple Jira (Atlassian) plugin asks a series of questions that need to be answered usaccounts in the Atlassian cloud to showcase how easy it is to get ing an adjusted Likert scale (cf. details in Step 2). The default JI-RADAR up and running. Once the user is logged into an Atlassian account and has created a Jira workspace, JI-RADAR can be installed in the Jira instance. The JI-RADAR plugin is available for installation online (cf. link on GitHub); We followed the instructions on Atlassian’s app distribution page.3 The link leads to the installation page depicted in Fig. 3. After reviewing the permissions, the user simply needs to click the “Get app” button and confirm the installation workspace (i.e., select the desired Jira workspace). This will trigger the installation, and after a few seconds, JI-RADAR will be ready to use.
4.2
Step 1: Setup
Once the JI-RADAR plugin is installed, the sustainability aspects need to be configured before it can be used for a specific project 1 https://github.com/jku-win-se/JI-RADAR 2 https://youtu.be/MPToigRrNzU 3 https://developer.atlassian.com/platform/forge/ distribute-your-apps
Figure 4: Selection of relevant dimensions and weight assignments for the SuMM Configuration.
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PREPRINT – accepted for publication at the 34th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)
2026
Figure 5: Customization of the assessment questions in the SuMM.
questions configured and used in JI-RADAR are based on and inspired by SuSAF. However, JI-RADAR allows us to add, remove, and modify questions for each dimension. This makes JI-RADAR highly configurable, allowing users to add domain- and projectspecific sustainability questions. Fig. 5 depicts a screenshot with the configurable questions for the “Environment” and “Society” dimensions. Although configuring the SuMM for a specific use case, incorporating stakeholder sustainability needs, it is also possible to skip the personalization setup and use the plugin right away with the default configuration. Once the SuMM configuration is complete, clicking on the “Save Configuration” button completes this step.
4.3
Step 2: Assessment of Jira Artifacts
After configuring the SuMM, the plugin is ready for use in the sustainability assessment. For every artifact in Jira (e.g., Tasks, User Stories, Epics), a new section, Sustainability Assessment (cf. Fig. 6), is added. The subsequent Sustainability Assessment is a “wizard”, that guides users through the questions specified in the SuMM. For each selected dimension, and question part of the dimension, the user has to assess the impact of the Jira artifact (cf. Fig. 7). They can select a value from an adjusted Likert scale (1=Direct Negative
Figure 7: Assessment wizard with example to be answered by the user.
Impact, 2=Indirect Negative Impact, 3=No Impact, 4=Indirect Positive Impact, 5=Direct Positive Impact, Indifferent=Not applicable / Cannot assess). After the (mandatory) assessment of the questions for each dimension is conducted, users can (optionally) document trade-offs, alternatives, and rationales for the given sustainability assessment. Furthermore, users can link related issues (e.g., conflicting user stories) to establish traceability.
4.4
Step 3: Reporting
After assessing the artifacts, the (aggregated) results of the sustainability assessment can be viewed on the Sustainability Dashboard page. The dashboard provides a series of views, filters, and insights. For example, the dashboard provides (weighted) KPIs, heatmaps, trend graphs, various filter options (e.g., by sprint or dimension), and the option to export the results (e.g., into a CSV file). All these features contribute to the goal of providing a holistic overview of the sustainability assessment and the Jira workspace’s impact. Fig. 8 depicts the dashboard’s overview tab. Figure 6: Assessment section for a user story.
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PREPRINT – accepted for publication at the 34th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE)
2026
Figure 8: Dashboard overview with different filter and export options.
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