The Importance Customer Requirements Management

Over the past 6 years I've been developing a tool I call CARRMA(r) Basic.  CARRMA stands for Computer Aided Requirements and Risk Management and Analysis.  The reason I've been developing it is that I have had much experience with development efforts based on poor requirements identification and management.

For any custom development, construction, or implementation project or program identifying and managing the Customer's Requirements are seminally important as denoted in figure 1.

Figure 1

As noted early identification of the customer's requirements will effect the project or program in two ways:

1. Reduce the cost and schedule impacts caused by the developer's lack of understanding what the customer wants product to do and be.
2. Increase customer satisfaction because the customer received the product they wanted in a timely cost efficient manner.  I can say that the is a major selling point from personal experience.

 

Figure 2

As shown in Figure 2, the further along in the development or implementation process the project is, the more expensive fixing a defect, caused by poor customer requirements management, is.  If a defect is found at the end of a project it can cause the entire effort to fail.

The single cause for requirements defects is lack of communication from the customer to the developer or implementer.

Figure 3

As shown in Figure 3, there are many types of requirements defects.  The cost, schedule, and quality issues will always lead to somewhat dissatisfied customers and frequently lead to very dissatisfied customers.

Figure 4

As defined in figure 4, the objective of all customer requirements identification and processes should be to clearly communicate the customer's requirements to the developer or implementer so that the developer or implementer can create a product that will meet those requirements.

I've created CARRMA(r) Basic to help marketing personnel and requirements analysts to work the customer to identify clear and complete set of requirements.  More about the product soon.  And whether or you use this tool, remember:

A clear and formal Requirements Management Process can (and most frequently will) make the difference between business success and failure.