Tuesday, July 26, 2005

What is the value of Requirements?

This article is an except from the book "Requirements-Led Project Management : Discovering David's Slingshot (Hardcover)" by Suzanne Robertson, James Robertson. The text begins with an intesresting comment:

Whenever we make an investment—some stocks, a new car—or do some work, we like to think we get something in return for the money or effort expended. In this chapter, we look at your investment in requirements and what you can expect in return. And though all men may be considered equal, all requirements are not. Some requirements are crucial to the product, while others are gold-plated luxuries. We discuss how business people and requirements analysts can determine how much to invest in requirements, by focusing on the value of requirements to their organization.

"Improved software practices provide returns ranging from 300% to 1900% and average about 500% ... The reason for these excep tionally high returns is ... improved practices [that] have been avail able for decades, but most organizations aren't using. Risk of adopting these practices is low; payoff is high."

—Steve McConnell, Professional Software Development

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