In a previous Tip you were asked to develop at least five questions for each of the focus cells in the Designer Perspective. Click here to review a sample question set in PDF format.

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It takes many interim work products to be built to reach the final implementation of a product. Models and specifications are developed to represent the business view and technical view before code is moved into production. The interim products evolve in detail and level of abstraction from the scope but are necessary to build a quality product. The development of these interim work products have needs that require satisfaction before they can be built. These needs are Builder Perspective level requirements! They should be written down in the same quality manner that the previous requirements were documented. They should be reviewed for feasibility and conflicts with other existing or new requirements.

The most common conflicts occur with the Project Constraints. These requirements will involve the buying and installing of hardware, software, and networks that WILL BE CONSTRAINED by budget, resources and time. Let's face it, one will not be able to build an internal network for $5! Therefore, these requirements must be elicited, written down, analyzed for feasibility (including accuracy, clarity, consistency, and completeness), validated and approved. They must be managed along with the previously captured requirements.

The Requirements Set Framework™ has a fifth perspective level called Sub-Contractor. At this point in the development cycle, the pieces of the product are being built, tested, and implemented. The requirements that should be captured at this level pertain to three subjects:

1. Running the product (building the physical production environment).
2. Monitoring the success of the product and project.
3. Facilitating the requirement capture for future iterations.

Many projects tend to overlook the requirements for these last two perspectives. They are equally important. As with the previous perspectives, these requirements are part of the products Requirements Set. These additional requirements should be organized by focus area. The customized Requirements Set Pattern, therefore, should have at least five questions for each focus area. The same restrictions that were applied to defining the questions should be followed.

The number of requirements for the builder and subcontractor perspective will not be as high as the designer perspective. That does not negate their importance. The requirements developed during these perspectives should follow the same requirement process and be approved prior to satisfaction. They should contain all the same components as the previously documented requirements.

As an exercise, develop a question list for all eight focus areas of each of these two perspectives. Incorporate these questions into your customized Requirements Set Pattern. Add a check list to the review process to ensure that these questions have been asked and that the requirements were documented, validated and approved.

The Requirements Meta Pattern™ is available in the following book, A Requirements Pattern: Succeeding in the Internet Economy (AWL, 3Q01). SBDi is available to assist your organization in learning more or implementing a customized version of the Requirements Meta Pattern™.

Pat Ferdinandi