• Project Phases

  August 28, 2008

  
  

• Work Breakdown Structure Was Shallow - Project Management Mistake # 7

  August 27, 2008

  
  

• Project Risk Management: Benefits and Obstacles

  August 27, 2008

  
  

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

  August 27, 2008

  
  

• Project Steering Committee Composition

  August 27, 2008

  
  

• Manage Project Risks

  August 27, 2008

  
  

• Cost Estimating in Program Management

  August 26, 2008

  
  

• SMART Requirements - Conclusion

  August 26, 2008

  
  

• 3 Main Benefits of Project Baselining

  August 26, 2008

  
  

• The Top Five Reasons Project Managers Fail

  August 26, 2008

  
  

A Project Management Primer - Scope - Documenting Requirements - SMART requirements

April 5, 2008 | Author: admin | Filed under: Scope Management, Requirements Management

A Project Management Primer - Scope - Documenting Requirements - SMART requirements (#21 in the Hut A Project Management Primer)
By Nick Jenkins

One useful acronym for defining requirements is SMART :

Specific A goal or requirement must be specific. It should be worded in definite terms that do not offer any ambiguity in interpretation. It should also be concise and avoid extraneous information.

Measurable A requirement must have a measurable outcome, otherwise you will not be able to determine when you have delivered it.

Achievable A requirement or task should be achievable, there is no point in setting requirements that cannot realistically be achieved.

Relevant Requirements specifications often contain more information than is strictly necessary. Be concise and coherent.

Testable To be of value requirements must be testable. You must be able to prove that the requirement has been satisfied. Requirements which are not testable offer no way to determine if they have been delivered.

Next in the Hut A Project Management Primer:

The Language and Layout of Requirements Specifications

Previously in the Hut A Project Management Primer:

A Project Management Primer - Scope - Documenting Requirements - Introduction

Nick Jenkins is an IT manager with 10 years experience in software development, project management and software testing. He’s worked in various fields of IT development in Australia, Britain and the USA and occasionally he learned something along the way. Now he lives on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia, and he publishes the odd guide to help aspiring IT professionals. Nick’s website can be found at www.nickjenkins.net.

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• A Project Management Primer - Scope - Requirements - Functional Requirements
• A Project Management Primer - Scope - Requirements Capture - Introduction
• A Project Management Primer - Scope - Documenting Requirements - Introduction

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