Discovering REAL Business Requirements for Software Project Success
by Robin F. Goldsmith
While a number of books on the market deal with software requirements,
this is the first that reveals how to save time, effort, and aggravation
by preventing the major cause of “creep”--system/software
requirements that don't satisfy the REAL, business requirements.
This invaluable resource presents a practical methodology and techniques
for discovering the REAL business requirements that software products
must meet in order to provide value. In addition, professionals
learn more than 21 ways to test that business requirements are right,
by assessing suitability of form, identifying overlooked requirements,
and evaluating substance and content. Organizations that apply these
approaches enhance software development success, user cooperation,
and satisfaction.
The powerful techniques
and methods presented are applied to a real business case from
a company recognized for world-class excellence. This cutting-edge
resource introduces the innovative Problem Pyramidtm technique
which helps professionals more reliably identify the real problem
and requirements content. From an examination of key methods for
gathering and understanding information about requirements, to
seven guidelines for documenting and communicating requirements,
this book is a comprehensive, single source for uncovering the
REAL business requirements for software development projects.
Creep—requirements changes and additions—is
a major reason most software projects are late, over budget, and
not what the customer needs. Creep problems persist because software
requirements management/engineering conventional wisdom misses
key parts of the story, which this book pioneers in revealing
and addressing.
For most projects (and authors), “requirements”
describe the software product that IT intends to create and creep
both inevitably and extensively because users don’t know
what they want, business changes so much, and requirements weren’t
defined clearly enough. In fact, much of creep is due to something
else--the product’s failure to do what the business really
requires, largely because the REAL, business requirements were
not defined adequately, and often hardly are recognized at all.
A number of widely-accepted but mistaken beliefs
contribute to projects’ typically inadequate definition
of business requirements. First and foremost, of course, is the
“Field of Dreams” presumption that whatever product
is going to be built must be what the business/user needs. Focus
on the product is especially compelling when the user dictates
the features and functioning, even though implementing them faithfully
still frequently leads to “that’s not right”
and further creep changes.
More insidiously, many projects do define “business
requirements” but still suffer creep because they fall into
the trap of describing only high-level needs and desired benefits,
which they erroneously believe decompose into detailed product
software requirements.
Rather, first adequately defining business requirements
in detail enables mapping to the high-level design of a product
that meets REAL needs without so much creep. The book shows skills
and techniques, including the powerful Problem Pyramid™
tool, for discovering and testing the adequacy of REAL, business
requirements that provide value when delivered by software products.
Robin F. Goldsmith is President of Go Pro Management,
Inc., a consultancy in Needham, MA. He has extensive information
systems experience, having worked in this capacity for the City
of Cleveland, large financial institutions, and a “Big Four”
management consulting firm. Mr. Goldsmith presents public and
in-house seminars and is a frequent speaker at leading software
development and quality/testing conferences. He earned his LL.M.
in taxation law at Boston University, J.D. at Suffolk University,
M.S. in psychology from Pennsylvania State University, and A.B.
in psychology from Kenyon College.
Hardcover * Approx. 240 pp. * Available March 2004
* ISBN: 1-58053-770-7 * Order Book No. 3L7709
