Fuzzy MCDM in Software Engineering: A Review of Applications, Challenges, and Tool Support

Abstract

Decision-making in software engineering frequently involves uncertainty, conflicting criteria, and incomplete information. To address these challenges, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods, together with fuzzy numbers, have been widely used to model imprecision, subjectivity, and linguistic information present in real-world problems. However, the rapid growth of these approaches has resulted in a fragmented body of literature, making it difficult to clearly identify methodological trends and research gaps, particularly in the field of software development. This article presents a literature review of fuzzy MCDM methods applied in software engineering and other relevant domains. The study is based on a structured search conducted in Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore. After applying screening and inclusion criteria through the Rayyan tool, a final set of 47 studies was selected for detailed analysis. The main contribution of this work is to provide a structured classification of fuzzy MCDM approaches, identify their main application areas, and highlight current challenges along with future research directions in this field.