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Software Requirements: 10 Traps to Avoid

Copyright © 2004 Karl E. Wiegers

Successful software projects are built on a foundation of well-understood requirements. However, many development organizations get caught in traps that prevent them from effectively collecting, documenting, or managing their requirements. This presentation describes ten typical requirements problems that can sabotage your project. Several symptoms that indicate you might be getting caught in each trap are described, along with suggestions for avoiding or escaping from the trap. The requirements traps discussed in this live conference presentation are:

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Presenter

Karl Wiegers is Principal Consultant with Process Impact, a software process consulting and education company in Portland, Oregon. Previously, he spent 18 years at Eastman Kodak Company, where he held positions as a photographic research scientist, software developer, software manager, and software process and quality improvement leader. Karl received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Boise State College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois.

Karl is the author of the books Software Requirements, 2nd Edition (Microsoft Press, 2003), More About Software Requirements (Microsoft Press, 2006), Practical Project Initiation (Microsoft Press, 2007), Peer Reviews in Software (Addison-Wesley, 2002), and Creating a Software Engineering Culture (Dorset House, 1996). He has also written more than 170 articles on software development, chemistry, and military history. Karl has served as a Contributing Editor for Software Development magazine and on the Editorial Board for IEEE Software magazine. He is a frequent speaker at software conferences and professional society meetings.

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