Requirements and Analysis
Requirements gathering and analysis of these requirements is the essential first step of any project. Yet so often this activity does not get the attention, resources and time necessary to give a project a firm foundation. This is absolutely essential if you want to reduce the risk of having another failed development project on your hands.
Learning about a business and identifying the core business requirements is a skill in short supply. It is vital to be able to articulate the requirements in a manner the customer understands. In addition they must be well structured and unambiguous to aid correct development and implementation. Many will have heard the adage 'A computer does only what you ask, but not what you meant!'
I'll be frank. Often it is the Consultant that is at fault, but more often it is the Customer! However, it is the Consultant that must take the responsibility.
The Customer is King when it comes to requirements. It is they who know and understand their business. One problem is that they are usually 110% involved in the day to day running of their business and find it difficult to devote time and energy to the requirements gathering process. Then, once the requirements phase is complete, it can be difficult for them to stay involved. Continued involvement is essential to ensure the project does not lose business focus. In any case, as the project progresses requirements and deliverables may change, and this needs to be monitored and managed in concert with the Customer.
X-Act Solutions employs the latest techniques and best practice. May we bore you with a few buzz words and phrases that most will not understand or may think are simply 'techie' jargon?
- Project vision document
- Event list and event table
- Identifying and categorising business rules
- UML, Use-cases, Activity diagrams
- Happy, alternative and exception pathways
- Phases: Inception, Elaboration, Construction and Transition
- ... I'll stop here!
The basic point is we take this stage of a project most seriously and take the responsibility to find the best way to work with our Customers, to get what we need while allowing them to get on with their real job of running the business.