Towards a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder frameworks in systems engineering: a systematic literature review

Stakeholder engagement is critical in developing complex socio-technical systems. While Systems Engineering (SE) acknowledges their role, existing frameworks for identifying, communicating, applying, and integrating stakeholders remain fragmented and inadequate. This systematic literature review investigates existing frameworks for stakeholder engagement, contributes to a structured understanding of current practices and identifies critical gaps. A search across four databases yielded 1,149 results, from which 34 approaches were selected. Each was evaluated by three dimensions: the goals of the approach (e.g., supporting traceability of needs or enabling effective communication), its methodological foundations, and its application context. Findings show that no framework offers a satisfying solution across all dimensions; most are narrow in scope or lack validation. Only few approaches cover all phases of stakeholder engagement, from early identification to structured traceability and requirement elicitation. This review reveals a clear gap: the lack of validated, MBSE-compatible stakeholder frameworks that unify identification, interaction, traceability and requirement definition. Future research should develop and empirically test integrative, MBSE-ready approaches that are both rigorous and usable in practice.

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620: Engineering

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