come on... it's in the requirements by sloan miller (@pmowned) #dpm2015

COME ON… IT’S IN THE REQUIREMENTS!

Sloan Miller Digital Operations, Strategist + Project Management Consultant @PMOwned

“Writing software that fully meets its specifications is like walking on water. For each, the former is easy if the later is

frozen and near impossible if fluid.”

-‐ Anonymous Developer

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

REQUIREMENTS -‐defined + typed-‐

so we’re all on the same page

‣Cataloging is a royal pain!

‣Few will read them :-‐(

‣Documentation for the sake of it… is a waste of time

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“a requirement is an external observable characteristic of a

desired system”

-‐ Alan Davis

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so we’re all on the same page‣Ambiguity can never be entirely removed

‣Methodology impacts the cataloging of requirements

‣A user or customer is the only person that can verify the validity of a requirement

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so we’re all on the same page‣Where do requirements come from?

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…nearly every project related interaction

so we’re all on the same page‣What drives the cataloging of requirements?

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…our desire to build the best possible solution

so we’re all on the same page‣How do we best record requirements?

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…in whatever way they will be consumed + executed

so we’re all on the same page‣Does anyone reading them?

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…um… hopefully… um… maybe… um… probably not

so we’re all on the same page‣Why do we even bother?

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…who the hell knows sometimes

three general requirement types‣Business requirements

‣Functional requirements

‣Technical requirements

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HINT: they are in this order for a reason!!

business requirements are:‣More ‘out there,’ marketing, or user data focused

‣Generally they are a high-‐level or aspirational goals

‣Very end-‐result oriented

‣Nearly all strategic by their nature

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“we should build a house… that looks something like this”

A BUSINESS REQUIREMENT

functional requirements are:‣More behavioral focused

‣Executional, but in context of the stated business goals

‣Very functionally oriented

‣A balance of strategic and tactical

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A FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT

“our house’s layout should look something like this”

technical requirements are:‣Instructional +“how-‐to” focused

‣Detailed + specific in context of the desired functionality

‣Very build oriented

‣All tactics, all the time

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A TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT

“what exactly do we need in order to build our house”

REQUIREMENTS -‐by methodology-‐

in waterfall approach‣Lots + lots + lots + lots of

‣Documentation

‣Early project planning

‣Exploring, evaluating + prioritizing

‣Requirements are ironed out well in advance

‣Goal: a comprehensive + exhaustive solution

‣Risk + change management are sticking points

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

in agile methodology approach‣“Conversation over documentation”

‣Requirements are

‣Relayed in real time

‣Rarely documented

‣A smaller subset is targeted as sprint begins

‣Goal: a workable solution, optimize it later

‣Completing enough requirements is a sticking point

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

hold to high standardsMore time is needed to gather + prioritize requirements if:

‣Problems:

‣are opaque

‣not fixed or static

‣are complex

‣The more stakeholders there are

‣The risks are greater

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

hold to the highest standardsIf the the failure of your project, software, or program can result in a death, injury, or dismemberment…

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

REQUIREMENTS -‐the holy grail-‐

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans;

then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

-‐ Napoleon Hill

so this is knownthe iron triangle is the ‘holy grail’ of project management

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Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Work Ends

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the holy grail of requirements

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x

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the holy grail of requirementsthe cost of change

the opportunity to influence cost

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Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End

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desired budget reached

desired launch target

the cost of change


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#DPM2015 @PMOwned


desired launch target

the cost of change


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REQUIREMENTS -‐prioritizing techniques-‐

“The reasonable [person] adapts [themselves] to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to

[them]self.”

-‐ George Bernard Shaw

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prioritization activities‣For laser beam focus… “give us your top 3”

‣To tackle a long list… “spend $100”

‣If there is a diverse team… “put it to the scales”

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give us your top 3Best used with…

‣a smaller team

‣very engaged stakeholders

‣a ‘manageable’ requirements list

‣an iteration or release based development cycle

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give us your top 3 (how it works)‣Assume resources are limited

‣Each person nominates a requirement

‣Discuss + vote…

‣unanimous =“cannot do without” list

‣majority =“needed” list

‣disputed =“nice to have” list

‣Repeat until the list is full#DPM2015 @PMOwned

Top 3 Things We Ca

nnot Do Without:

1. _______________

_______

2. _______________

_______

3. _______________

_______

Top 3 Things We Ne

ed:

1. _______________

_______

2. _______________

_______

3. _______________

_______

Top 3 Things That

Would Be Nice:

1. _______________

_______

2. _______________

_______

3. _______________

_______

events platform

mobile breakpoints

July 1 launch date

open source cms

web forms

image gallery

user registration

ticket integration

soundcloud embed

spend $100Best used with…

‣a medium to larger team

‣stakeholders with a mixed engagement level

‣a ‘large’ requirements list

‣the earlier stages of a project

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spend $100 (how it works)‣Assume you have resources

‣Each person gets a balance of $100

‣On paper (anonymously) people invest their money

‣Tabulate results, reveal + discuss

‣Target a fair amount with a reasonable dollar values

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

# Requirement

Balance

1. July 1 launch d

ate . . . . . $24

2. events Platform

. . . . . . $21

3. mobile breakpoi

nts . . . . . $20

4. open source cms

. . . . . . . $18

5. image gallery.

. . . . . . . $18

6. web forms. . .

. . . . . . . $14

7. soundcloud embe

d . . . . . . $12

8. ticket integrat

ion . . . . . $10

9. user registrati

on. . . . . . $10

. . .

62. social media s

haring . . . $ 2

63. sell t-‐shirts

. . . . . . . $ 1

64. fan club porta

l . . . . . . $ 0

put it to the scalesBest used with…

‣a larger team

‣stakeholder with a wide variety of engagement

‣an ‘unmanageable’ requirements list

‣at the beginning of a project

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the scales (how it works)‣Assume the picture isn’t clear

‣Each person votes (-‐3 to 3)

‣Either on paper -‐or-‐ by a show of fingers

‣Tabulate values + discuss

‣Only target those with a positive scores

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

# Requirement

Scale

-‐3

-‐2 -‐1 0 1

2 3

1. July 1 launch

date

2. Events Platfo

rm

3. Mobile breakp

oints

4. open source c

ms

5. image gallery

6. web forms

7. soundcloud em

bed

8. ticket integr

ation

9. user registra

tion

. . .

62. social media

share

63. sell t-‐shirt

s

64. fan club por

tal

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REQUIREMENTS -‐why they matter-‐

“Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating the

talents of those who work for us and pointing them towards a

certain goal.”

-‐ Walt Disney

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

what really gets my goatRequirements should…

‣be documented

‣be read

‣be executed

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requirement documentation lite‣Only produce necessary documentation

‣Use a format that..

‣works for your team

‣is quickly digestible

‣can be easily updated

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requirement engagement heavy‣Engage your the entire team

‣Activities + discussions are open to all

‣Integrate cataloging into other project activities

‣Discuss the risk associated with changes

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the purpose of requirements‣Is everyone is on the same page?

‣Have the project’s purpose + objectives been clarified?

‣Are features verified + prioritized?

‣Are development + integration needs outlined?

‣Can the functionality be built in the timeline?

‣Does the project plan meet expectations?

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

#DPM2015 @PMOwned



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so where did we start?‣Does anyone even read them?

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

…if there is buy-‐in, empathy + understanding

so where did we start?‣Why do we even bother?

#DPM2015 @PMOwned

…to make the best possible solution

…with the least possible resistance

thanks!!Sloan Miller Digital Operations, Strategist + Project Management Consultant @PMOwned

philly’s digital PM meetup group @DPMPhilly

come on... it's in the requirements by sloan miller (@pmowned) #dpm2015

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