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What Is a Requirement in Software Projects?
November 11, 2009 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Requirements Management
What Is a Requirement in Software Projects
By Declan Chellar
What is a requirement? If you check any English dictionary, you will probably find a definition along the lines of “something wanted or needed”.
But what is a requirement within the context of software development? You could argue it is whatever the customer wants and is willing to pay for and I have heard that argument several times. To my mind, however, that argument leaves no room for requirements analysis.
Part of the job of the requirements analyst is to challenge the requirement, test it, view it from different angles, check that it makes sense, be sure that it meets the business need.
That’s the key word for me. The requirement is primarily about what the customer needs, not what the customer wants. Of course, in a solid relationship between the customer and a capable requirements analyst, the true needs of the business will come out and that is what the customer will want.
I have been on projects where requirements analysts merely document what the customer wants without giving it a second thought. Such requirements stenographers (as they should be called) do a disservice to their customer. Such people do not attempt to understand the why behind the what and they fail to see what are effectively design solutions masquerading as business needs.
I think The Rolling Stones said it best:
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well you might find
You get what you need
Takeaways:
- Analysts, ensure you challenge in order to understand what your customer’s business really needs
- Customers, ensure the analysts are doing their job and making you think about what your business really needs
Declan Chellar is a freelance consultant based in the European Union. He provides consultancy on Business Process Management (BPM) projects (particularly those using Pegasystems’ PRPC). He has worked in IT since 1996 and primarily as an analyst since 1998 for companies such as Electronic Data Systems, Capgemini and Knowledge Rules. Declan’s blog can be found at http://www.chellar.com/blog/.
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