writing requirement documents
DESCRIPTION
Writing the requirement documents that get you what you want…TRANSCRIPT
GettingYOURrequirements DEVELOPED
Writing the requirement documents that get you what you want…
Asa Zaidman & Mike Darnell
What does it take to write a GOOD* requirements document?
*Good = You ask for what you want, & get what you asked for…
What does it take to write a GOOD requirements document?
• Good planning• Clarity• Good formatting• Good communication and supervision.
Good Planning• Know your users
• Know what youneed & want:
– What processes must users complete?
– What’s the general look & feel?
• Test your assumptionsConduct user tests.
• Familiarize yourself with your team: developer, designers,etc.
Maintain Clarity I
• Write from a user’s point of view:“The user will be able register his/heremail and register for a newsletter”
• Nothing is obvious– Set ground rules– Another behavior/scenario?
Detail!
Maintain Clarity II• Detail!
Scan your web pages from top to bottomHow will every section behave?
• Technology? – “I don’t care.
If it meets my requirements, it can run on steam”
– K.I.S.S = Keep it simple stupid
• References:A great method for communicating your wishesby providing examples
Good Formatting “Poetry: The BEST WORDS in the BEST ORDER”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• Ordering your document:– Important = First– Numbering
• Suggested ordering*– Introduction – Need– Concept– Goal– Background: Challenges, Environment, Compatibility– Features & Functional Requirements– Statistics– Open Issues – Supporting data & assumptions
• *Use only sections that apply
Good Formatting
• English– Allows the flexibility of working
with developers ANYWHERE
• Screenshots– Make them CLEAR,
don’t worry about beautiful… Check out these tools: Inkspace, Mockflow, Mockingbird*,Iplotz*, Axure*, Balsamiq*, Powerpoint, Paint, pen & paper, …
• Track changes– Use Google Docs
A Few More Tips…• List not only what you want,
but also what happens when things go wrong…
• Consider SEO & page meta data
• Statistics*:– What do you want to know?– How are you going to act?– Who is going to read and analyze?
• List open issues
• Review Review Review– Have someone else review your document
• * - Google Analytics
Working with developers
• It’s your responsibility to have timely answers for your developers’ questions
• Evaluating developers’ ideas:– Does it met your requirements?– What is the risk?– What is the cost? (time, money)
THANK YOU
Asa Zaidman [email protected] Darnell [email protected]
Image Credits1. “Goal, almost…” - M◄ ►2. “Dallas Early Subway plan” - austrini3. “Order” - timsamoff 4. “Autumnal clear sky” - **msk 5. “South Clear Creek Falls” – OakleyOriginals