Requirements & scope

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Requirements
and Scope
Project Performance information
Better and Faster
with Requirements Traceability.
Craig Brown - PMOZ 2011

Better project controls!
Your business analysts should already be tracking this data

1. What’s requirements traceability?
2. Controlling scope
3. See an Example and think about how I can use this
LEARNING GOALS

As a project manager I want to find
better ways to control project scope,
and thus avoid schedule and budget
problems.

I know there are many aspects to
project success…
•Budget compliance
•Scope compliance
•Schedule compliance
•Quality compliance
•Value generated
•People learning from the process
•Simply getting it finished

And I know expectation
Management is a key to #winning
Perceived
Experience
Success =
Expectation

You don’t need to convince me.

I know scope issues are at the heart of
managing my projects

You said that Requirements
Traceability can provide a way to
improve project performance.

T ell me more.

Lets run through
Requirements Traceability
101

What is…
Short answer: the relationships
between requirements and between
a requirement and the project that
is addressing them.

Vertical tracing
Horizontal tracing

Horizontal traceability
Component
Sub feature
Component Sub component

Feature Rule

Component Sub component
Sub feature
Rule
Component
Rule

Helps ensure completeness and identify
dependencies.

Mission

Strategy Strategy Strategy

Programme Programme
Project Goals
Goals Goals

Project Goals Project Goals Project Goals

Business Business
Project Goals
Requirements Requirements

Features Features
You can, and should, use More
NFRs
traceability to ensure Features

NFRs Process changes
alignment to the big picture
Process changes

Vertical traceability
Defined
Designed
Built
Integrated
Helps spot where requirements are
Accepted
bounced, de-scoped or otherwise
Deployed
mangled.
Used by analysts and testers.

Defined Design Built SIT UAT Deployed
R1 SD2.1 T C102 UT C12

R1.1 SD2.2 T C102

R2 De-scoped

R3 SD2.4 T C103-108 UT C15

R3.1 SD2.4.1 T C103, 109 UT C15, 16

R3.2 SD2.4.2 T C 110-112 UT C 17

Now tell me how I can
use this beyond test
plans and coverage
checks?

Tracks several useful attributes, such
as; Requirement description, Owner,
Value/motivation, Priority,

Tracks Tracks relationships between a
Requirement, Solution Component (i.e.
requirements WBS element), T est case

through project End to end through stage gates
lifecycle and/or development stages

Binary state at each stage; Done/Not
done

Requirements Traceability

80%
80%

80%
80%

80%

80%

Requirements
IIBA/BABOK IEEE
1. When reading the BABOK Guide it is 1. A condition or capability needed by a
vital that ‘requirements’ be user to solve a problem or achieve an
understood in the broadest possible objective
sense. 2. A condition or capability that must
2. Requirements include but are not be met or possessed by a system or
limited to past, present and future system component to satisfy a
conditions or capabilities in an contract, standard, specification,
enterprise and descriptions of or other formally imposed document
organisational structures, roles, 3. A documented representation of a
processes, policies, rules and condition or capability as in (1) or
information systems. (2)

Scope: T he sum of the products, services, an results to be
provided as a project.

Scope Project scope: T he work that must be performed to deliver
a product, service or result with the specified features
and functions

Product scope: T he features and functions that
characterise the product, service or result.

Scope creep: Adding features and functionality (project
scope) without addressing the effects of time, costs and
resources, or without customer approval
PMI definitions

Requirements = Scope
Product Scope Drives Project Scope

Product/Service
Work to be Done
Capabilities

Requirements Budget and Schedule

Of course, you need to run work
through your lifecycle in small
batches to get best results.

You could get this nice visual of what’s done and
what’s yet to be completed.
200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

-
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Work done Work remaining

Of course it won’t be a flat progression.
200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

-


You could also break your report down into various states
Defined Designed
Defined
Defined Designed Built
Defined
Defined Designed Built T ested

Designed Built T ested
Deployed
Designed Built T ested Deployed

Watch the ‘cumulative flow’

T here is something else as well.

It doesn’t really matter
why requirements change.

We just know they do.

500

450 466

400

350 380

300

250 308

200
200
Jan 249
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2% 4% 6% 8%

500

450 466

400

350 380

300

250 308

200
200
Jan 249
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2% 4% 6% 8%

25% 54% 90% 133%

8%
6%
4%

200
2%
180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

-


25%

20%

Scope changes over time
15%

10%

5%

0%

-5%

-10%

-15% What’s your monthly scope change rate? Is it under control?
-20% Do you know your company’s baseline?
-25%
Do you know your industry average?

We can use control charts to manage our
scope variations to limits… and in planning

250

200

150

100

50

-

Work to do Work done Work remaining

How Traceability can help you track project progress
Requirements Defined > Work Done > Work Remaining
Release scheduling based on actual progress.

2000

1500

1000

500

0
16-Jan 16-Feb 16-Mar 16-Apr 16-May 16-Jun 16-Jul 16-Aug 16-Sep 16-Oct 16-Nov 16-Dec 16-Jan 16-Feb 16-Mar 16-Apr 16-May 16-Jun

Work to do Work remaining Work done

We got >>> 2% permonitoring and
After measuring,
month
proactively managing the
stakeholders and requirements

Requirements
Growth v Delivery 2000

1500

1000

500

0

250

200

150

100

50

-


2000

1500

~ 2000 1000

Story Points
500

0

Work to do Work remaining Work done

See the
250 pattern?
200

~ 250 150

Stories 100

50

-


May June July….
Number of requirements
Number Completed this month
Number remaining

Requirements by size
Small
Medium
Large

Go collect your data and share with me

Better Projects Blog
www.betterprojects.net

/Measuring Requirements/
http://www.betterprojects.net/p/measuring-requirements.html

1. Lean how requirements drive project scope
2. And how project requirements change can be
anticipated
3. So that project budgets and schedules can properly
managed!
LEARNING GOALS

Included as a
standard
Requirements activity in the
BABOK,
Is derived from
Systems
Traceability is
Engineering, a standard
BA activity Is used for
ISO90001:
2000
Is part of the compliance
Requirements
Management
area (REQM) in
CMMI

Requirements Traceability is a standard project activity
Despite industry standards, Requirements Traceability is not always done, or done
well. It’s performance should be encouraged.

@brown_note

BetterProjects.net

Craig.Brown@BetterProjects.net
au.linkedin.com/in/craigwbrown

Requirements & scope

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