Software requirements are arguably the single biggest source of heartache for Product Managers and anybody else working to move a software product forward. Requirements definition is every Product Manager’s dreaded opportunity to wrestle with all the contention, politics, and conflicting viewpoints an organization has to offer.
Not only is formulating and prioritizing requirements the essential starting point of any effort to improve software, but there’s almost always a major disconnect between how requirements are expressed by sales reps, marketing, prospects, or customers and how those same requirements need to be stated in order to pass along clear, complete guidance to developers and other technical teammates.
So here’s a little bit on what I have learned to change requirements from “hype-ful” - straight from the mouths of sales reps and marketing types - to helpful, in three basic steps.
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This was the first article I ever wrote about software requirements. The topic of requirements is a central one for product managers, not to mention extensive.
I have found that with all that can be said about how to be successful with software requirements, one of the first, and easiest ways to make a difference is to take out the hype from the way they are worded, getting everyone focused on the facts.
Another interesting article on requirements is 03039 ROI and ROR: Return on Requirements.