Come on... It's in the Requirements by Sloan Miller (@PMOwned) #DPM2015

1. COME ON… IT’S IN THE REQUIREMENTS! Sloan Miller Digital Operations, Strategist + Project Management Consultant @PMOwned

2. “Writing software that fully meets its speciﬁcations is like walking on water. For each, the former is easy if the later is frozen and near impossible if ﬂuid.” -‐ Anonymous Developer #DPM2015 @PMOwned

3. REQUIREMENTS -‐defined + typed-‐

4. so we’re all on the same page ‣Cataloging is a royal pain! ‣Few will read them :-‐( ‣Documentation for the sake of it… is a waste of time #DPM2015 @PMOwned

5. “a requirement is an external observable characteristic of a desired system” -‐ Alan Davis #DPM2015 @PMOwned

6. so we’re all on the same page ‣Ambiguity can never be entirely removed ‣Methodology impacts the cataloging of requirements ‣A user or customer is the only person that can verify the validity of a requirement #DPM2015 @PMOwned

7. so we’re all on the same page ‣Where do requirements come from? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …nearly every project related interaction

8. so we’re all on the same page ‣What drives the cataloging of requirements? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …our desire to build the best possible solution

9. so we’re all on the same page ‣How do we best record requirements? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …in whatever way they will be consumed + executed

10. so we’re all on the same page ‣Does anyone reading them? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …um… hopefully… um… maybe… um… probably not

11. so we’re all on the same page ‣Why do we even bother? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …who the hell knows sometimes

12. three general requirement types ‣Business requirements ‣Functional requirements ‣Technical requirements #DPM2015 @PMOwned HINT: they are in this order for a reason!!

13. business requirements are: ‣More ‘out there,’ marketing, or user data focused ‣Generally they are a high-‐level or aspirational goals ‣Very end-‐result oriented ‣Nearly all strategic by their nature #DPM2015 @PMOwned

14. “we should build a house… that looks something like this” A BUSINESS REQUIREMENT

15. functional requirements are: ‣More behavioral focused ‣Executional, but in context of the stated business goals ‣Very functionally oriented ‣A balance of strategic and tactical #DPM2015 @PMOwned

16. A FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT “our house’s layout should look something like this”

17. technical requirements are: ‣Instructional +“how-‐to” focused ‣Detailed + speciﬁc in context of the desired functionality ‣Very build oriented ‣All tactics, all the time #DPM2015 @PMOwned

18. A TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT “what exactly do we need in order to build our house”

19. REQUIREMENTS -‐by methodology-‐

20. in waterfall approach ‣Lots + lots + lots + lots of ‣Documentation ‣Early project planning ‣Exploring, evaluating + prioritizing ‣Requirements are ironed out well in advance ‣Goal: a comprehensive + exhaustive solution ‣Risk + change management are sticking points #DPM2015 @PMOwned

21. in agile methodology approach ‣“Conversation over documentation” ‣Requirements are ‣Relayed in real time ‣Rarely documented ‣A smaller subset is targeted as sprint begins ‣Goal: a workable solution, optimize it later ‣Completing enough requirements is a sticking point #DPM2015 @PMOwned

22. hold to high standards More time is needed to gather + prioritize requirements if: ‣Problems: ‣are opaque ‣not ﬁxed or static ‣are complex ‣The more stakeholders there are ‣The risks are greater #DPM2015 @PMOwned

23. hold to the highest standards If the the failure of your project, software, or program can result in a death, injury, or dismemberment… #DPM2015 @PMOwned

24. REQUIREMENTS -‐the holy grail-‐

25. “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” -‐ Napoleon Hill

26. so this is known the iron triangle is the ‘holy grail’ of project management

27. -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Work Ends #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements

28. -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Work Ends #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements x

31. -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Work Ends #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost

32. -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements desired budget reached desired launch target the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost

33. #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End desired budget reached

34. #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements desired launch target the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End desired budget reached

35. #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements desired launch target the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End desired budget reached

36. REQUIREMENTS -‐prioritizing techniques-‐

37. “The reasonable [person] adapts [themselves] to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to [them]self.” -‐ George Bernard Shaw #DPM2015 @PMOwned

38. prioritization activities ‣For laser beam focus… “give us your top 3” ‣To tackle a long list… “spend $100” ‣If there is a diverse team… “put it to the scales” #DPM2015 @PMOwned

39. give us your top 3 Best used with… ‣a smaller team ‣very engaged stakeholders ‣a ‘manageable’ requirements list ‣an iteration or release based development cycle #DPM2015 @PMOwned

40. give us your top 3 (how it works) ‣Assume resources are limited ‣Each person nominates a requirement ‣Discuss + vote… ‣unanimous =“cannot do without” list ‣majority =“needed” list ‣disputed =“nice to have” list ‣Repeat until the list is full #DPM2015 @PMOwned Top 3 Things We Cannot Do Without: 1. ______________________ 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________ Top 3 Things We Need: 1. ______________________ 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________ Top 3 Things That Would Be Nice: 1. ______________________ 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________ events platform mobile breakpoints July 1 launch date open source cms web forms image gallery user registration ticket integration soundcloud embed

41. spend $100 Best used with… ‣a medium to larger team ‣stakeholders with a mixed engagement level ‣a ‘large’ requirements list ‣the earlier stages of a project #DPM2015 @PMOwned

42. spend $100 (how it works) ‣Assume you have resources ‣Each person gets a balance of $100 ‣On paper (anonymously) people invest their money ‣Tabulate results, reveal + discuss ‣Target a fair amount with a reasonable dollar values #DPM2015 @PMOwned # Requirement Balance 1. July 1 launch date . . . . . $24 2. events Platform . . . . . . $21 3. mobile breakpoints . . . . . $20 4. open source cms. . . . . . . $18 5. image gallery. . . . . . . . $18 6. web forms. . . . . . . . . . $14 7. soundcloud embed . . . . . . $12 8. ticket integration . . . . . $10 9. user registration. . . . . . $10 . . . 62. social media sharing . . . $ 2 63. sell t-‐shirts . . . . . . . $ 1 64. fan club portal . . . . . . $ 0

43. put it to the scales Best used with… ‣a larger team ‣stakeholder with a wide variety of engagement ‣an ‘unmanageable’ requirements list ‣at the beginning of a project #DPM2015 @PMOwned

44. the scales (how it works) ‣Assume the picture isn’t clear ‣Each person votes (-‐3 to 3) ‣Either on paper -‐or-‐ by a show of ﬁngers ‣Tabulate values + discuss ‣Only target those with a positive scores #DPM2015 @PMOwned # Requirement Scale -‐3 -‐2 -‐1 0 1 2 3 1. July 1 launch date 2. Events Platform 3. Mobile breakpoints 4. open source cms 5. image gallery 6. web forms 7. soundcloud embed 8. ticket integration 9. user registration . . . 62. social media share 63. sell t-‐shirts 64. fan club portal |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| . . . |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| |....⍊....⍊....✛....⍊....⍊....| | | | | | | | | | | | |

45. REQUIREMENTS -‐why they matter-‐

46. “Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them towards a certain goal.” -‐ Walt Disney #DPM2015 @PMOwned

47. what really gets my goat Requirements should… ‣be documented ‣be read ‣be executed #DPM2015 @PMOwned

48. requirement documentation lite ‣Only produce necessary documentation ‣Use a format that.. ‣works for your team ‣is quickly digestible ‣can be easily updated #DPM2015 @PMOwned

49. requirement engagement heavy ‣Engage your the entire team ‣Activities + discussions are open to all ‣Integrate cataloging into other project activities ‣Discuss the risk associated with changes #DPM2015 @PMOwned

50. the purpose of requirements ‣Is everyone is on the same page? ‣Have the project’s purpose + objectives been clariﬁed? ‣Are features veriﬁed + prioritized? ‣Are development + integration needs outlined? ‣Can the functionality be built in the timeline? ‣Does the project plan meet expectations? #DPM2015 @PMOwned

51. #DPM2015 @PMOwned the holy grail of requirements the cost of change the opportunity to inﬂuence cost -30 0 30 60 90 120 Work Begins Taking Shape Crunch Time Works End

52. so where did we start? ‣Does anyone even read them? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …if there is buy-‐in, empathy + understanding

53. so where did we start? ‣Why do we even bother? #DPM2015 @PMOwned …to make the best possible solution …with the least possible resistance

54. thanks!! Sloan Miller Digital Operations, Strategist + Project Management Consultant @PMOwned philly’s digital PM meetup group @DPMPhilly