Requirements Capture

Every stakeholder and every team member has his own perspective on project requirements. Those viewpoints need to agree. Upfront. Fully. And in writing.

It’s called “discovery” … and it’s tougher than it sounds.

Two essential aspects of capturing requirements are (1) completeness and (2) consensus. The first is easy to presume, and the second is hard to achieve.

Consider this: Sometimes our perspective can limit clarity: what “goes without saying” for one group usually needs to be explicated for the cross-functional team or it may be overlooked. Once users perceive how the solution may be structured and what might be available to them, additional requirements often surface. The group sponsoring the project may not be the only group affected by the solution. Data sources may not be easily accessible or their outputs in a usable condition.

All of these situations can result in surprise requirements surfacing late in the process. We call it “scope deep.”

Group decisions are a necessary part of any enterprise-wide endeavor. And consensus is not always easy to reach. Opposing viewpoints may present points of contention that can hamper forward motion of the project. SISG professionals have the facilitation experience to finesse sensitive issues and the practical experience to offer advice and alternatives for consideration.