Okay, I’ve tried to get this across in previous posts, but as usual, Bob Lewis says it much better than I could ever hope to. Read his post, and get wisdom!
For those in a hurry, the key paragraph is reproduced below:
- Projects of any size and scope should always be about helping one or more parts of the business operate differently, not about delivering software that meets specifications. That being the case, the whole process of collecting software requirements from various stakeholders and reconciling it is bogus. Start the conversation by asking how the business should operate and everything about what follows changes. In particular, software requirements stop being a matter of finding compromises among various statements of “I want” and start being a simple account of the role software plays in new or changed business processes.
