Writing Requirement Documents

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