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The Fuzzy Line Between Requirements and Design
by Karl E. Wiegers
Debates rage about the boundary between requirements and design on a software project. In my view, that boundary is not a crisp line. Some people view "requirements" as only representing what the business or the user is trying to accomplish with the product. Others extend "requirements" into the realm of screen design.
When it comes to requirements specification and design, the essential issue is not simply one of what versus how. It's a matter of distinguishing the real customer need from just one possible description of how a developer might satisfy that need. Incorporating a solution idea into a requirement imposes a design constraint, which can be-but is not always-perfectly legitimate. Focusing on premature or inappropriate solutions can make it difficult for a developer to understand what the customer is really trying to do, which makes it hard to devise the best approach to meet that expectation. This paper explores the issue of requirements versus design as an abstraction scale, considering the extent to which it's appropriate to include specific solution ideas in the world of requirements.
- 19 comments
- 21112 reads
The Big Freakin' Requirements Document Must Die. Here's Why.
by Chris Gurney
The typical requirements document is a long, sprawling piece of literature. Within it, one might find a title page, table of contents, change history, complex headers and footers, legalese, confidentiality notices, and, if you're lucky, maybe even requirements.
Its length is probably, primarily due to the fact that it tries to be everything to everybody. But, the problem is that this big freaking document isn't read entirely by any single person, except perhaps by the person who wrote it in the first place.
- 26 comments
- 5328 reads
Five Challenges to Agile Planning- Dorian Simpson
To many, "Agile" is as much a philosophy as it is a modern development process. The ideals of Agile are good. How can you disparage a development methodology that focuses on better collaboration, satisfied customers, and high-quality software? For anyone who has experience with Waterfall or other traditional "phase-gate" development processes, you can see why Agile has gained so much traction in such a short period of time. When used properly, Agile provides many benefits such as the ability to stay nimble and responsive to constantly-changing customer needs; the potential for faster time-to market of products, and meaningful collaboration between customers, product owners, development teams and other stakeholders within your business.
- 2 comments
- 722 reads
