For years I have been promoting a philosophy to IT solution teams centering on the need for clear, concise requirements. Without excellent requirements the customer will never be completely satisfied. I know, “never” is a strong word, but it is what I believe to be true.
Teams that have an excellent Business Analyst and dedicate appropriate time to eliciting, defining, and analyzing the requirements for a project are at a huge advantage in achieving customer satisfaction. Teams can have the best Project Manager, the best development team or solution team, and the best Quality Assurance Analyst. But, if they do not have an excellent BA eliciting and managing the requirements for the project they will not be successful.
Let’s say you are working with a home developer to build your next home. This developer has a proven record to get homes built on time and within budget, and the level of quality is not matched. This developer never has punch lists when owners move in and very low maintenance issues. When the project begins the only information given to the developer is that you need a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a 3 car garage. In the end, the developer builds you a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a 3 car garage, on time, within budget, and no punch list items. The problem is that you really need a ranch and they built a 2-story home, you need an attached garage, they built a detached garage. You get my point.
Clear, concise, detailed requirements are critical to the success of projects. Does your team produce excellent requirements? Does your team have excellent BAs?