Software Requirements (Dv-Best Practices) (Paperback)

~ Karl E. Wiegers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Requirements" are essential for creating successful software because they let users and developers agree on what features will be delivered in new systems. Karl Wiegers's Software Requirements shows you how to define and get more out of software requirements with dozens of "best practices" and tips that make this book a valuable resource for both software project managers and developers.

The book's commonsense approach provides exemplary project management skills tailored to gathering (and refining, implementing, and eventually tracking) software requirements. While the book often cites recent software engineering studies, the focus always returns to practical management techniques. A case study for a chemical tracking application frames the book, and most chapters begin with anecdotes that demonstrate situations in which users and developers misunderstand each other about a software project's ultimate goals. (If you've ever worked in the field, these stories will probably sound all too familiar.)

This book offers hope, though, for improving your software design process, with dozens of tips on getting better design input from your customers and then using these requirements to generate a variety of design documents. There are numerous templates and sample documents too--a big help for the busy software manager.

Several standout sections cover negotiating difficult steps in the process, particularly how to manage shifting requirements as projects move forward and keep the various users and stakeholders content throughout the software process. Late in the book, the author surveys today's software management tools and shows how to pick the right ones for your organization.

Anchored by the author's considerable experience and software engineering expertise, this jargon-free and practical guide to software requirements can definitely give you the edge in managing software projects more efficiently. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: software requirements specifications (SRS); business and user requirements; risk management; the requirements process; sample documents and templates; requirements development: elicitation, analysis, specification, and verification; rights and responsibilities for software customers; best practices; project management tips; process assessment and improvement; types of users; product champions; use cases and other diagrams; tips for prototyping; managing requirements change; change centered boards (CCBs); evaluating and using requirements tools; requirements traceability matrix; impact analysis.

Product Description

Practical ways to manage or participate in the requirements engineering process

As a developer, have you ever produced software that satisfied all the project spec sand seemingly none of the customers expectations? As a customer, do you find yourself guessing exactly what kind of information developers need from you? Without formal, verifiable requirements and an effective system for managing them the result is usually a gap between what developers think they are supposed to build and what customers think they are going to get.

In SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS, youll discover practical, effective techniques for managing the requirements engineering process all the way through the development cycle including tools to facilitate that all-important communication between users, developers, and management. Use them to:

Arrest creeping requirements and manage change requests Set achievable expectations for functionality and quality and meet them Curb the impulse to gold-plate your programs Cut revisions and costs dramatically Produce better software!

Each chapter offers real-world case examples and specific next steps you can take to put the books process-improvement principles into practice. No matter what kind of software you build or what your role in the development process, SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS delivers expert guidance and field-tested techniques for engineering software success!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (August 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735606315
• ISBN-13: 978-0735606319
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #663,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Software Requirements, December 4, 1999

By	Ellen Gottesdiener (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews

Karl Wieger's book is destined to be classic in software requirements. It delivers a large set (over 40) no-nonsense best practices in highly readable, non-nonsense manner. I believe every project manager, IT (Information Technology) and business analyst, and IT account manager should read this book. Further, developers would do well to read it to gain critical insight into the 'big picture' of requirements engineering.

The book is broken down into three sections: the case for requirements engineering best practices ("What and Why"), the requirements discovery, verification and validation process ("Software Requirements Engineering"), and the essentials of requirements management ("Software Requirements Management"). Throughout, the dual necessities of doing requirements right (verification) and doing the right requirements (validation) is addressed. Wiegers has thoroughly delved into the literature in the software requirements field. The text is liberally spiced with tidbits of data to support the business case for implementing these best practices. I found myself making notes in the inside cover and folding back pages to reference again as I read through the book.

Early in the book, Wiegers presents a set of software engineering best practices which are classified into priority (high, medium, low) and difficulty (high, medium, low). Although you may disagree with the specific rankings for your shop, this table is an excellent example of modeling appropriate requirements engineering practices - prioritizing requirements! Other goodies abound. For example, a partial case study flows throughout the book which gives the reader enough of an idea of what a use case, dialog map, text requirement, etc. looks like to get the concept being resented. Each chapter ends with a concise list of suggested next steps, providing the reader with concrete actions to take to implement the practices covered in that chapter. In addition, there are numerous sample templates (e.g. Risk Item Tracking, Software Requirements Specification), several excellent checklists (e.g. Inspection Checklist for Software Requirements Spec, Software Elements Affected by a Proposed Change,), visual models (e.g. Requirements Traceability Links, Change Control Process) and a wonderful "bill of rights" for the software customer which boldly and directly asserts both rights and responsibilities of the customer.

A set of example models is provided in the chapter called "A Picture is Worth 1024 Words". You will need to read other books or take training on the mechanics, notations and semantics of these models for visualized functional requirements. But the author covers the key models and their purpose succinctly.

This book is easy to read, cuts to the chase, and provides a bounty of information that will wet our appetite to take action. This book is not a requirements engineering method or methodology, which would prescribe step-by-step protocols of task, roles, and techniques. Rather, like the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking, you will find well-proven, sensible, and reusable practices. In Software Requirements, you will find the right ingredients and essential practices needed to 'cook' tasty requirements.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone affected by software system development, March 7, 2000

By	Larry Boldt, [e-mail] "bpb95" (Technology Builders, Inc., Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for a very direct, down-to-earth approach to developing and managing requirements, this is the book for you. If you believe that managing requirements is overhead that you cannot support, you need to read this book. Karl takes a very practical approach to requirements development and management. He explains his approach in a succinct manner and provides very good examples to make his point. This book should be a mandatory read by all software development project managers, whether they come from the business or technical side of the business. Additionally, Karl's book makes good reading for anyone who is affected by the development of a software system such as business visionaries, end-users, quality assurance, business analysts, technical writers, trainers, and developers.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, clear and a little drab, June 15, 2000

By	David Stengle (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The more time I spend running software projects, the more convinced I become that a strong requirements process is the hardest part.

This is an excellent book that covers developing a strong requirements process. Wiegers doesn't cover underlying philosophy (see Kovitz or Jackson), but he provides a useful reference. The book outlines many good practices - and his point about "good practices" versus "best practices" is well taken, but it is not as well organized as some other toolbox-style books.

A big part of establishing effective requirements gathering is selling the management team. This book doesn't really tackle this challenge.

The sample project is helpful, but I wish Wiegers had gone the last mile and attached the project requirements documents as an appendix.

Despite this list of gripes about what the book doesn't do, it has many, many good points and is written in a clear, if not lively, fashion. Recommended.