Projects must be planned and executed to deliver timely, viable solutions that are both relevant and realistic. To meet these goals, every project must
begin with an fully vetted and approved requirements specification. But, before project
requirements can be vetted and approved, they must be collected,
organized and transformed into an
actionable project scope,
vision and work effort.  Read on for more.

IT projects are complex projects.  Requirements are
typically multi-faceted, covering technical, financial, and
operational elements, and are also subject to perception, bias and
stakeholder interests. As such, the requirements collection process
must incorporate and address all these realities – to identify
requirements at all levels and perceptions.   This is best
achieved through standardized steps, designed for consistency, but
equipped with built-in flexibility.

Requirements collection is performed as part of the
project
definition process.

Start with Basic Data Collection Strategies

The following techniques and strategies are used to “fast track”
the requirements collection process so that project needs can be quickly
identified and organized for analysis:

In Person Requirements Collection

“Face to face” interviews with one or more project stakeholders.
These “requirements” interviews can occur as one-on-one meetings or
group brainstorming sessions. Tip: Interviews are most appropriate for
projects with a small number of “requirements contributors”, where requirements
must be gathered from a select, concentrated group.

Requirements Collection Via Surveys

Documented questions (on paper or in electronic format) designed
to collect “written” requirements feedback from one or more project
stakeholders. Tip: Surveys are most appropriate for projects with a
large number of “requirements contributors” where requirements must
be gathered from a diverse group.

Requirements Collection Via Observation Techniques

Direct “interaction” with project customers (i.e. end-users) to observe
and identify requirements based on current workflows and practices.
Tip: Observation is most appropriate for “performance or productivity
improvement” projects where problems must be translated into actionable
requirements.

Key Components for Requirements Collection

In practical application, most projects will involve some combination
of these various methods in order to collect a full set of useful requirements.
Requirements collection is initiated when the project need is first
identified and the project “solution�? is to be proposed. Requirements
refinement continues after the project is “selected�? and as the scope
is defined, aligned and approved. The requirements collection process
must be designed to address the following primary issues:

• Participants: Who should participate in the requirements specification
  process? Requirements “contributors” should be selected according to
  project role, deliverables “stake”, expertise, experience, and internal
  organizational issues.
• Timing and Scope: How much time is available for the requirements
  collection process considering project scope and the number of participants?
  Requirements collection “timing and scope” will determine the data collection
  methods to be used.
• Goals: What are your requirements collection goals? Do you need to
  validate and verify pre-defined requirements assumptions, or do you
  need to gather requirements feedback at the broadest levels possible?
  These goals and needs will help to determine your selected requirements
  techniques, including questions “content and format”.

Once requirements data has been collected, analyzed and finalized,
validating deliverables must be produced, in order to document requirements
for review and acceptance. This deliverable, formally known as a “Requirements
Statement/Specification” must be prepared and approved before project work begins.
It’s very risky to initiate costly project work without a full understanding and
an acceptance of properly stated requirements.
The requirements deliverable also
provides a baseline for
managing inevitable
project change.

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