Software Requirements Essentials: Core Practices for Successful Business Analysis

Chapter 1

Essentials of Software Requirements

Many years ago, I (Karl) would sometimes dive into writing a new program based on nothing more than an initial idea. I’d spend time coding, executing, fixing, and making a mess in my source code editor as I fumbled around, trying to get results. Eventually, I realized that the root of the problem was rushing to code without having an end point in mind—coding’s fun! Those frustrating experiences taught me the importance of thinking through some requirements—objectives, usage tasks, data elements, and more—before doing anything else. After I adjusted my process to understand my requirements first, I never again felt like a software project was out of control.

All projects have requirements. Some teams ...