Software product release planning through optimization and what-if analysis

We present a mathematical formalization of release planning with a corresponding optimization tool that supports product and project managers during release planning. The tool is based on integer linear programming and assumes that an optimal set of requirements is the set with maximal projected revenue against available resources. The input for the optimization is twofold. The first type of input data concerns the list of candidate requirements, estimated revenues, and resources needed. Second, managerial steering mechanisms enable what-if analysis in the optimization environment. Experiments based on real-life data made a sound case for the applicability of our approach.