Capturing Systems Requirements

Course Description | Outline | Business Analysis Home

Overview

Since the 1970's, numerous studies and mounds of anecdotal evidence have shown that a key (perhaps the key) to project success is the project team's ability to capture the customer's true requirements.

An understanding of requirements is essential to meeting stakeholder expectations. Yet in too many instances, the project team fails to properly identify, define and confirm those requirements when they are needed - prior to the design and development of the product.  The result is costly delays, added costs for rework, and poor customer relations.

This workshop provides participants with a framework for planning, executing and managing the requirements development process.  In addition, they will be equipped with the data gathering techniques to elicit requirements and with the tools and techniques for analyzing, documenting, and verifying requirements with stakeholders.  These tools and techniques include interviews, surveys and observation, as well as process and data modeling tools.  Also, the importance and construction of a traceability matrix will be explored. Another significant aspect of the course involves managing stakeholder expectations and implementing a change management process to control the dreaded, scope creep.

The intent of the workshop is to have participants use the framework and the tools to identify true stakeholder requirements early in the product lifecycle. Doing so increases stakeholder involvement, makes for better communication between project personnel and stakeholders, and thus, reduces the time and cost to complete projects.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Detect early errors in analysis, design, and development (when it costs the least to correct)
• Define products that meet stakeholder needs
• Use modeling techniques to document and confirm functional requirements
• Create an effective change management process
• Develop and use a framework for the requirements development process
• Employ validation and verification methods to ensure correctness
• Minimize scope creep
• Contribute to the development of best practices in requirements management for an organization
• Identify key challenges to the requirements development process
• Write clear and concise requirements
• Develop a requirements traceability matrix and a requirements specification document

Professional Development Units (PDU's)

Upon completion of the course, students will be awarded 19.5 PDU's by the Project Management Institute.

CDU's

18 CDU's will be awarded to students who've completed this course.

Audience

This course is intended for business analysts, systems analysts, key stakeholders and project managers and others who are responsible for the development of requirements.  It is also for stakeholders who are actively involved in the requirements development process.

Contact Information

E-mail Heith Hart or call (443) 692-6599 if you have any questions about this course or if you would like to be added to the interest list.