Working Back to Requirements from a Solution

1. Working Back to Requirementsfrom a Solution Because you have to start somewhere….

2. Five Minute Requirements Case Study The facts are these…. • An operational mistake is noticed by the • Enterprise Customer • The COO says “The system let us do it” • The Enterprise Customer says “Why do you have a system that lets you do it? • The COO says to IS “Have it fixed by Monday!”

3. Five Minute Case Study Readout • Is this realistic? Has this sort of thing happened to you? • What facts are missing from the case study? • What is the real requirements target?

4. Investigation: What are the problems with being given solutions for requirements? • You are now in four teams … your mission will be to POLL everyone else about a question • As an investigation team … • Meet as a team to decide strategy for gathering information … 3 minutes • Gather information … 4 minutes • Meet to analyze and record results on flip chart sheet for sharing … 4 minutes • Read out to the rest of us … 1 minute

5. Investigation:What are the problems with being given solutions for requirements? Collect examples of solutions given as requirements. Identify how you know you got solutions instead of requirements What tips can you share about getting your stakeholders back to requirements? What does your IS / IT department usually do when this happens?

6. Today’s Agenda • What’s the problem with solutions anyway? Why can’t you just do it? • How to explain the difference between requirements and solutions • Liberating Requirements from the matrix of Solutions

7. What’s the problem with solutions anyway? Why can’t you just do it?

8. Client anxiety - What’s important? • Believe that the bottleneck to success is anything that delays programming activities • Never have enough time to meet business challenges • It’s all about TIME TO MARKET!

9. Clients read Computerworld, too. • Want more control of solution due to past experiences – cost, less than expected, took too long -- the dreaded Phase II delivery • Don’t want IS to say “NO” • Frustrated with work request management and prioritization

10. Clients will find a way … • Cut it into small pieces themselves to “fly under the radar” • Don’t know what they want – just what they don’t want! • Do something – anything! Then we can fix it.

11. Why it’s so hard!

12. Addressing their concern … • Requirements insure that the solution really has value .. • Not anticipated value but really tracking payback • Satisfy all stakeholders • Requirements keep the solution development process on track .. • Scope – control the discussion • Contraction of project time as the project nears its deadline

13. Strategies to handle client anxiety • Timebox your requirements effort • Focus client attention on “validation” of the solution to build the Business Case • Simplify their statements into smaller solution components to discover what the solution accomplishes or builds • Help them define what would be the “best fit” for their need rather than just picking a solution … “competitive bid”

14. How to explain the difference between requirements and solutions

15. Requirements for a Hand Held Reminder Tool: • Reminder function: Display note(s) • Easy to use – build on existing skills and user interface experience • Inexpensive • Difficult to lose

16. Hand held reminder tool What are the requirements if this is what they ask for!!

17. Why is the requirements definition important? Clarify WHAT is needed before you decide HOW to resolve it and HOW important it is when other needs are considered Otherwise -- • The capability may not be developed completely ...OR BE OVERBUILT • The solution may resolve a different need and create confusion • Developing an expedited solution may be more difficult

18. WHAT versus HOW • Requirements say WHAT is needed, focusing on OUTCOMES and CONSTRAINTS on solutions • Specifications say HOW to create or choose a solution and focus on processes related to creation or choice

19. What versus How • I want a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with mayo. No lettuce or tomato. • Take two slices of wheat bread from the top drawer, put a ½ inch layer of Duke’s mayo on each slice using a kitchen knife, place two slices of Hormel lunch meat turkey on the bread, ….

20. Track inventory as it moves from warehouse to depot to customer Do not allow products to ship if the previous warehouse or depot location is unknown Add a repeating field to the inventory screen for each clerk to use for tracking on the tracking web site Sample Statements for Software What How

21. Outcomes Functions Products Results Solution Constraints Rules for solution use Value Proposition Payback [tracking] Instructions on how to build a solution Feature designs Specific development process or methodology Technology platform Method of delivery ‘Requirement’ versus ‘Solution’ language What How

22. Liberating Requirements from the matrix of Solutions

23. Targets for your research:Business Case and Macro Process Business Case Macro Process Then the process is back on track!

24. Business Case Components Business Case • Business Problem / Opportunity • Anticipated Outcomes / Capabilities needed • Value Proposition(s) & Payback • Solution Constraints • Relationship(s) to other requirements

25. Identify the Macro Process that it supports Examples: • Prospect to customer • Order to Cash • Procure to pay • Create new product to pilot Macro Process: Enterprise level process that unifies the work of multiple departments to deliver an outcome needed by the Enterprise

26. Sample:Order to Cash Macro Process

27. Order To Cash Idea To Approval Procure To Pay Prospect to Customer Inputs (Forms) Outputs (Reports) Work Flows System Help SOPs (Business Rules)

28. The Research Method: • Develop the information needed to construct the Business Case & Identify the Macro Process(es) • Organize the information into a “straw man” for review • Then develop the requirements forward until they meet (or undo) the “solution” • Repeat, as needed. But only as needed.

29. The Case Study: Requirement: “The Warehouse needs a faster printer.”

30. Step 0: Why is this solution valuable to you? • Establish the value proposition(s) to provide ‘clues’ back to the business problem / opportunity • Be sure to find out how you will check the value proposition(s) and confirm payback! • Identify the Macro Process involved • (PS - Don’t settle for the first answer) • I did and it didn’t work – I still just had a solution that didn’t work, either.

31. Step 0: Why is this solution valuable to you? • General Manager – “We need to get the bills of lading printed prior to midnight at month end and the current printer is too slow.” • OK – We sent the new printer. But it didn’t solve their problem.

32. Step 1: What is influencing your decision to use this solution? • Anticipated outcome(s) / capabilities needed • Solution constraints • Relationship(s) to other requirements • Follow up the responses with clarifying questions to get complete, unambiguous answers • (I wish I had)

33. Step 1: What is influencing your decision to use this solution? • Shipping / Receiving Clerk: “I called the IT Help Desk and told them the printing was too slow. They told me the application works as designed. That’s why I asked for the faster printer.”

34. Step 2: Is this solution similar to another one you have used before? • Relationship(s) to other requirements • Value proposition(s) & payback • Macro Process • I asked: “So, why has this problem surfaced now? & Do our other warehouses have this problem?” • See Step #3 now

35. Step 3: When this solution is in place, what positive outcomes do you expect for the “customer”? • Anticipated outcome(s) / capabilities needed • Value proposition(s) & payback • Relationship(s) to other requirements • Macro process • This provides the best chance to get the “big picture”

36. Step 3: When this solution is in place, what positive outcomes do you expect for the “customer”? • The General Manager explains: “The customer’s new audit rules will only include the monthly revenue for a sale if the product has shipped from the warehouse before midnight on the last day of the month. They used to include orders processed on the last day even if shipping was in the next day or two.”

37. Step 4: What if this solution doesn’t work? • Business problem / opportunity • Solution Constraints • Relationship(s) to other requirements • We have been trying solutions all along without understanding the business problem / opportunity!

38. Step 4: What if this solution doesn’t work? • Business problem / opportunity • Anticipated outcomes / capabilities needed • What really has to happen? • That led to considering the problem from a different angle – not just changing the system “We need to be able to prepare shipping paperwork to match orders that have been loaded and sealed on trailers and are awaiting pickup.”

39. Step 5: What if you just keep doing things the way you are doing them today? • Business problem / opportunity • Macro process “We will lose the business.”

40. Recap of Steps: Order matters! 0. Why is this solution valuable to you? • What is influencing your decision to use this solution? • Is this solution similar to another one you have used before? • When this solution is in place, what positive outcomes do you expect for the “customer”? • What if this solution doesn’t work? • What if you just keep doing things the way you are doing them today?

41. unearthed Recap of the Requirements

42. Macro Process • Order to Cash • Focus on Picking and Shipping of order • No need to deal with the collections or billing portions • Customer’s Audit Process • Customer’s Sales Process

43. Business Case:Business Problem / Opportunity Statement • The customer now requires the month’s orders to be shipped complete prior to midnight on the last day of the month. • ‘Shipped complete’ now means that the warehouse has loaded the product and sealed the trailer, and that the paperwork & data reflect this completion prior to midnight on the last day of the month.

44. Business Case:Anticipated outcomes / Capabilities needed • Complete system’s shipping process & paperwork after the trailer is loaded and sealed but before the driver takes responsibility for the load. • Paperwork reflects the order’s completion at or before the time the trailer is sealed.

45. Business Case:Value Proposition(s) • Satisfy current contract with customer – value $1M / month • Adapt to customer’s changing needs – goodwill & stronger likelihood of continuing relationship

46. Business Case:Solution Constraints • Information and paperwork must accurately reflect status of loaded and sealed but not picked up by driver • Electronically exchanged data (EDI documents) must be consistent with this new capability • Data integrity • Electronic message synchronized with the new shipping process for this customer

47. Business Case:Relationship(s) to other requirements • Customer Audit requirements • Customer Sales commission rules • Our Own Customer Care process

48. What would you do next? Begin the requirements elaboration process as if the solution had not been suggested

50. Recap of today’s discussion • Manage customer anxiety about discussing requirements when they are more interested in solutions • Distinguish requirements statements from solution statements • Identify the five steps to uncover the requirements when a solution is present