Requirements Collection Tutorial: Gather Project Needs

Introduction

When it comes to any type of project, need collection plays a key role.Requirements collection is not only an important for the project, but it is also important for a project management function.For the project, understanding what the project will eventually delivered is critical for its success.Through requirements, the project management can find the end deliveries of the project and how the end deliveries should address the client’s particular requirements.Although requirements collection looks a quite straightforward;surprisingly, this is one of the project phases where most of the projects start with a wrong foot.In common, majority of the failed projects have failed due to the wrong or insufficient needs gathering.

Tips for Successful Requirements Collection

Following are some of the tips for making the requirements collection process successfully:

• Never assume that know the customer’s requirements.
• What usually think, could be quite various to what the customer wants. Therefore, always verify with the customer when have an assumption or a doubt.
• This helps to successfully focus on the scope of features.
• When are in the process of gathering the requirements, make sure that the requirements are realistic, specific and measurable.
• Focus on the making the requirements document crystal clear.
• Requirement document is the only way to get the client and the service provider to the agreement.
• So , there should not be an any gray area in this document.
• If there are gray areas, consider this would lead to potential business problems.
• Do not talk about the solution or the technology to the client until all the requirements are collected.
• Not in a position to promise or indicate anything to the client until that are clear about the requirements.
• Before moving into any other project phases, get the requirements document signed off by a client.
• If necessary, make a prototype to visually illustrate the requirements.

The 6-step requirements gathering process

To gather requirements, use the following 6 process.Once finished, should have a comprehensive requirements document outlining the resources need to move forward through the project phases.

Step 1: Assign roles

The first step in requirements gathering is to assign roles in the project.This is when identify the project stakeholders.A stakeholder is anyone invested in a project, whether they are internal or external partners. For example, a customer is an external stakeholder, while a department manager or board member is an internal stakeholder.Identifying these roles first will help to find who should analyse the project scope later on. Another roles include the project manager, project administrator, designers, product testers, and developers.These people can help to identify the requirements and resources need in order to hit the project goals.

Step 2: Meet with stakeholders

Once identified the project stakeholders, meet with them to get the idea of what they’re hoping to get out of a project.Understanding what stakeholders want matters because they are ultimately the ones creating the deliverables for.

Few questions can ask include:

• What is the goal for this project?
• What do think would made this project successful?
• What are the concerns about this project?
• What do wish this product or service would do that it doesn’t already?
• What changes would recommend about the project?

The stakeholders are the people ultimately developing the project for, so it should ask them questions that can help to create the list of requirements.

Step 3: Gather and document

Step 3in the process happens at the similar time as step two. gather data as stakeholders questions.The goal is to document everything so have all of the answers need to start the project.Use a project management tool to gather and document this information.That way, can keep the project plan, project requirements, and project communication all in one place.

Some examples of what it might document include:

• Stakeholder answers to interview questions
• Stakeholder questions
• Stakeholder requests
• Stakeholder comments
• Questions and comments that arise during interviews

Step 4: List assumptions and requirements

Now that finished the intake process, create the requirements management plan based on the information gathered. Consider the questions that initially set out to answer during the requirements gathering process.

Then, use them to generate the requirements goals, including:

Length of project schedule: Can map out the project timeline using a Gantt chart and use it to visualize any project needs that depend on project milestones.Some requirements will apply for the full period of the project, whereas others may only apply during distinct project phases.For example need a particular budget for team member salaries throughout the full project, but may only need specific material during the last stage of the project timeline.

People involved in the project:Identify exactly which team members will be involved in the project, including how many designers, developers, or managers need to execute each step.People are part of the project requirements because if don’t have the team members need, not be able to finish the project on time.

Project risks:Understanding the project risks is an important part of identifying the project requirements.Use a risk register to find which risks are of highest priority, such as stakeholder feedback, timeline delays, and lack of budget. Then, schedule a brainstorming session with thw team to figure out how to prevent those risks.

Step 5: Get approval

Once formalize the project requirements, need approval from stakeholders to ensure that meeting user needs. Encouraging the clear communication can also prevent scope creep by ensuring that stakeholders know the limits of the project from the beginning.it can then proceed with the implementation plan, which may include acquiring resources and assembling the team.

Step 6: Monitor progress

The last part of the process is monitoring the progress of the project,use project management software to trace the project budget and other needs as to move through project execution.The benefit of project management software is that can see changes to the project in real-time and take immediate action when things go away.

Methods for Requirement Collection

Brainstorming:Involving a group of stakeholders asking them offer all their suggestions and ideas about what they will preferred to see in the final outcome. This creates many ideas. No restrictions are enforced in the brainstorming session.

Interview:Interviews can be planned with some of their senior stakeholders to understand some of the requirements and also expectations

Focus groups:Moderated discussion with a group of stakeholders belonging to a specific group or function and finalize the requirements with them.

Facilitated Workshops:Moderated discussion with the group of stakeholders belonging to the cross functional groups together and finalize some of the requirements which will be general for all of them.

Questionnaires & Surveys:Used for gathering inputs from large group of stakeholders who may be a wide spread.

BenchmarkingWhile developing the new product, very often can start with some benchmark products and ideas and built new requirements in comparison to the benchmarked product

Observation and Conversation:Very often the stakeholders are unable to articulate the requirements because of the lack of skills and enough knowledge at the end.In such cases, observation technique is used to understand the needs by observing the as is processes and thereby understand the requirements.Mostly used to understand an existing manual processes which need to be an automated.

Nominal Group Technique:Prioritizing requirements by involving the group of the stakeholders.Identifying the must-have, should-have and could-have the requirements.

Facilitation techniques:The project team need to drive and facilitate a stakeholders so that the clear requirements are gathered.

Affinity diagrams:Categorising different requirements in logical groupings for the better understanding and clarity.

Decision Making:Finally the requirements which need to be fulfilled have to be decided by involved the group of stakeholders and voting techniques are used for the purpose.

Prototyping:Requirements gathering by interactions are always prone to misinterpretation. Prototypes are often created to help lessen this kind of misunderstanding.A prototype offers an opportunity to validate the general understanding of the requirements by all parties.

Key Components for Requirements Collection

Participants:

Who should participate in the requirements specification process? Requirements “contributors” should be selected according to the project role, deliverables “stake”, expertise, experience, and also internal organizational issues.

Timing and Scope:

How much time is available for the requirements collection process considering the project scope and the number of participants? Requirements collection “timing and scope” will find the data collection methods to be used.

Goals:

What are the requirements collection goals? Do need to validate and verify pre-defined requirements assumptions, or do need to gather requirements feedback at the broadest levels possible? These goals and needs will help to find the selected requirements techniques, including questions “content and format”.

Conclusion:

Requirement collection is the major important step of a project.If the project team fails to capture all the important requirements for a solution, the project will be running with the risk.This may lead to many disputes and disagreements in the future, and as a result, and the business relationship can be severely damaged.Therefore, take requirement collection as the key responsibility of a project team.Until the requirements are to signed off, do not promise or comment on the nature of the results.