Requirements management for software development

When an organization wants to develop any software program to meet its business needs

it has to initiate a well planned management process to maximize utilization of resources. This process is called requirements management. Every business has its own unique requirements and thus each IT project will require a different approach.

Importance of requirements management

Software development is quite a complex process and if the needs of the business are not identified it could lead to wastage of time and money on a program which will definitely not help achieve company goals. Thus requirements management is an integral part of a project. The requirements management process involves the analysis of the company objectives and the resources available. Then accordingly it charts out plans to provide full support to the project, performs integrating functions and makes adjustments according to the continuous changes in the environment. A well managed requirements management promotes the application life cycle management of a project and is one of the significant processes in collaborative software development. An estimated 70% of projects fail and 50% have to be reworked on due to faulty requirements management.

Key features of requirements management

Traceability There are different requirements from different segments of people like the business dealer who orders the product, the manager who handles marketing and the end user. The traceability characteristic helps to trace the source for the features that were added in the program. This is a very useful function as it helps in prioritizing the requirement as per its value to the user for the development of the product Traceability helps in both forward and backward development as it can be later studied to find out why it was needed but not used ultimately.

Elicitation This is a method of collecting information from the users, customers and stakeholders through questionnaires, interviews, workshops, role playing, user's observations and use cases. Collecting the requirements in an organized manner is essential for analysis and modeling of a suitable program. There could be several problems hindering the elicitation procedure such as the user's inability to specify the necessary technical details or the inability to understand the capabilities and drawbacks of their environment. The inability to comprehend the problem and describe it to the system engineer, excluding relevant information or specifying vague requirements are also hurdles that could negate the elicitation process.

Modeling and designing The modeling stage is where models are created to enhance the compatibility between systems, simplify the designing process and encourage effective communication between the individuals and teams. Designing involves the process of planning solutions for solving problems. While designing the program it is very essential to ensure interoperability capabilities with other products, the ability to add new capabilities without disturbing the existing architecture, maintenance of the software to a particular condition within a particular time, the ability to resist and recover from any failures affecting components, the security, robustness, reliability and re usability.

Reviewing, changing and approving - Once the design is in place, it is then implemented and tested to validate and verify that the software product is in accordance with the business requirements. This process helps in identifying the weak areas and incorporating changes. After the implementation of new changes the product is verified at each stage until the product is completely ready for approval.

An effective requirements management provides valuable business solutions. With the availability of solutions in a clear, complete and consistent manner, bearing relevance to the business needs, promoting flexibility and endorsing verification application life cycle management software counts as a productive resource for a successful business.

Requirements management for software development

By: lisasmith

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