The State of
Requirement
Management
© 2007 Jama Software

John Simpson
© 2007 Jama Software

About the Survey
203 professionals worldwide
40% business analysts
Companies big and small
Diverse industries
© 2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Fundamentals still apply
“Managing the rapid
change of requirements
and traceability is our
toughest challenge.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Speed does matter
“We’re a fast follower.
We watch the
competition closely and
then make it better.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Ask your customers
“Lavish R&D budgets
don’t deliver better
performance. Customer
focus does.”
- Booz Allen Hamilton,
Global Innovation 1000 Report
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Live Poll Question
How often do you elicit
requirements from your customers?
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Enhance and release
“Our goal is to deliver
quality software in a
reduced timeframe using
an iterative approach to
development and
systematic testing.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Complexity impacts success
Scope Team Success
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Change is a reality – manage it
“You have to manage
change effectively, or it
will manage you.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Live Poll Question
Is change management
an issue for your team?
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Satisfaction #1, but get consensus
“To avoid conflicts, teams
should all agree on the
shared goals and metrics
as much as possible.”
- Jeff Lash, author of blog
How to Be a Good Product Manager
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Live Poll Question
Is your team in sync on
how you measure success?
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

© 2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Success rates still suffer
“Some of the biggest
problems come from
pursuing what the
customer says they want,
without determining what
they really need.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Many companies use a mix
“It depends highly on the
project characteristics,
so it varies from
Waterfall to Agile.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Live Poll Question
Which process does your team use?
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

© 2007 Jama Software

© 2007 Jama Software

Take-away: Documents still dominate,
but collaboration in RM is on the rise.
“Requirements management is
a communication process.
Collaboration happens when
everyone has the same
understanding of the
requirements.”
- Survey participant
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Live Poll Question
What’s your favorite genre of music?
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

Summary: So, what did we learn?
No substitute for the fundamentals
Customers really do rule
Change and complexity – deal with it
Companies use a mix of processes
Collaboration meets requirements
©© 2008 Jama Software
2007 Jama Software

Next Step
Participate in the 2009 Survey
10 Minutes 20 Questions
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.

Questions?
John Simpson
jsimpson@jamasoftware.com
www.jamasoftware.com
© 2007 - 2009 Jama Software. All rights reserved.