Best Practices: Your Ten-Step Program To Improve Requirements And Deliver Better Software

High-quality software requirements sit at the foundation of good software deliverables — those that meet business needs, satisfy customers, and fit into existing technology architectures. Yet many organizations haven't invested much (if at all) in their business analysts' development or requirements practices. If your organization is among these many, it's time to begin a requirements improvement journey. You can't afford not to do it, and a wealth of resources exists: research, educational materials, tools, and communities. Start by educating yourself and your organization on the importance of good software requirements and the cost of poor ones and teaching your business analysts what it takes to define and manage requirements well. Finally, adopt and adapt 10 requirements best practices that we've gleaned from research and discussion with enterprises, vendors, and industry thought leaders. Through improved requirements, you will make better use of scarce resources and satisfy — and perhaps even delight — your organization's employees and customers.