Writing Better Requirements (Paperback)

~ (Author), Richard Stevens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Well-written requirements are crucial to systems of all kinds: you are unlikely to get what you want unless you ask for it. This book explains and demonstrates exactly what requirements are for, and how to write them

From the Back Cover

Experience has shown us that investment in the requirements process saves time, money, and effort. Yet, development efforts consistently charge ahead without investing sufficiently in the requirements process. We are so intent to develop the technical solutions that we are unwilling to take the time and effort to understand and meet the real customer needs.
--From the Foreword by Ralph R. Young, author of Effective Requirements Practices

Who is it for?

If you are involved in the systems engineering process, in any company -- from transport and telecommunications, to aerospace and software -- you will learn how to write down requirements to guarantee you get the systems YOU need.

What skills will I learn?

• How to write simple, clear requirements -- so you get what you want
• How to organize requirements as scenarios -- so everyone understands what you want
• How to review requirements -- so you ask for the right things

0321131630B05282002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (August 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321131630
• ISBN-13: 978-0321131638
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, March 29, 2007

By	Michelle A. Maese "Michelle Mace" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's a short and to the point book on what requirements should contain; it's like a cliff-notes version of other requirements gathering books. We ordered one for our whole team and made it required reading! For anyone who doesn't have the time nor the patience to weed through 300 pages to get to the point, this is the book for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book Provides Practical Advice , May 30, 2008

By	J. Brown (Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

It is rare when you come across a project management book that is easy to read, short and full of valuable information but Writing Better Requirements meets this criteria. I like simple and to the point!

The Book Provides Practical Advice

The book provides good practical advice on writing requirements. Alexander and Stevens follow their own advice for writing requirements in the book by using simple words that contribute to the books readability. The book is written in a manner that will not intimidate non-technical personnel so it may given to the entire project team, including customers and users. (Wait... I just had a novel idea...we should teach our customers and users how to write requirements.)

Here are five of many valuable tips from Writing Better Requirements

1. Perspective on the requirements effort. The authors state approximately 5% of the project effort and up to 25% of the schedule duration should be put on project requirements.

2. Guidance on structuring requirements. Improper structuring is identified as a primary cause of poor requirements. The structuring discussion includes a useful table that documents problems and solutions for structuring requirements. For, example, the authors characterize one problem as Some requirements can be applied simultaneously or in any order and provide the common sense solution of Mark whether sections in the structure are sequences, parallels or alternatives. Overall the authors provide some good alternatives to challenges on how to effectively structure requirements.

3. Plenty of exercises. Another valuable aspect of this book are the exercises provided after a lot of the sections in the book. The exercises provided are well thought out and solutions are included at the end of the book. In addition to the exercises examples are provided to clarify and reinforce key points.

4. Guidelines on conducting a requirements workshop. Important guidelines on how to conduct a requirements workshop are discussed including room lay out and facilitation tips. The book has a good glossary of terms.

5. Lists of other sources of requirements. The book includes a nice list of other sources of requirements. One of these sources that is often overlooked is problem reports from the previous system. The authors state these problem reports can often be turned around into requirements. This is a powerful method to ensure improvement of the future system.

Writing Better Requirements should be a part of every project managers library. I give it 5 of 5 stars! Make your life easier and give it as a holiday gift for your users and customers.


Dr. James T. Brown PMP PE CSP
Author - The Handbook of Program Management

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but short, September 5, 2008

By	Booker "brc" - See all my reviews

There were some good thoughts about writing better requirements, but, for the price that you pay for the book, I expected more substance. Most of the suggestions are just good common sense.