"Software Requirements: 10 Traps to Avoid" presented by Karl Wiegers, Principal Consultant at Process Impact This presentation was recorded at the Rational User Conference 2001, Denver, Colorado, on July 24, 2001. It has been edited slightly for length. The presentation is approximately 75 minutes long. System Requirements =================== 1. You will need a Web browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or newer, or Netscape 4.78 or newer (or Mozilla equivalent) are recommended, although other browsers and older versions of these browsers may work. For Unix and Linux, the Mozilla and Konqueror browsers, should work. Safari or Mozilla browsers are recommended for Macintosh. 2. You will need the Macromedia Flash plug-in for your browser. You may download the Flash player from http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash. If you have any problems with the presentation playing correctly, make sure you have the most recent version of the Flash player installed. 3. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later to view or print the PDF files. You may download the Adobe Acrobat Reader from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. 4. You will need speakers or headphones to hear the audio. 5. Set your screen resolution to at least 800x600. 6. Make sure Javascript is enabled in your browser. Running the Presentations ========================= The CD is configured to autorun on Microsoft Windows. If it doesn't run, or if you are not running Windows, try the following actions: 1. Make sure your Web browser is already open before loading the CD. 2. View the file directory for the CD and launch the index.html page. 3. View the file directory for the CD, right-click on index.html, select Open With, and select your web browser. 4. View the file directory for the CD in your Web browser and open the index.html page from there. 5. If all else fails, copy the files from the CD to your computer and then launch the index.html file. Permissions =========== The contents of this CD are Copyright (c) 2004 by Karl E. Wiegers. You may: 1. Make this presentation available to any employee at your organization, who may view the presentation as many times as desired. 2. Copy the files from the CD onto computers, network servers, or Intranet servers at your location to be viewed only by employees of your organization as many times as as desired. 3. Print the reference documents included with the presentation and freely share them with other employees of your organization. 4. Copy the MP3 file of the entire audio track onto a separate MP3 player or audio CD for use by yourself or other employees of your organization. You may not: 1. Copy the CD. 2. Distribute the CD or its files beyond the organization that purchased the CD. 3. Modify any of the files on the CD or convert them into other formats. 4. Make any portion of this presentation, or any representations derived from it, available to any third party in any printed or electronic medium, including but not limited to live presentation, audio or video recording, CD, DVD, computer- or Internet-based training, Web-based seminars, radio or television broadcasts, hardcopy, PDF, or PowerPoint. 5. Sublicense, sell, or transfer this presentation to any third party, with or without compensation. Presentation Abstract ===================== 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 are: * confusion about what a requirement is * inadequate customer involvement * vague and ambiguous requirements * unprioritized requirements * building functionality no one uses * analysis paralysis * scope creep * inadequate requirements change process * insufficient change impact analysis * inadequate requirements version control Speaker Biography ================= 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. He is a member of the IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, and ACM. Karl is the author of the books "Software Requirements, 2nd Edition" (Microsoft Press, 2003),"Peer Reviews in Software: A Practical Guide" (Addison-Wesley, 2002), and "Creating a Software Engineering Culture" (Dorset House, 1996). He has also written more than 160 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. Karl's website is http://www.processimpact.com. There you can access dozens of his recent magazine articles, and you can download many templates, process descriptions, spreadsheet tools, forms, checklists, and other useful process assets.