Writing Understandable Business Requirements

Sometimes a project schedule will be too tight, leaving very little time to write the business requirements, and less time for them to be reviewed by the business or technical teams. Later in the project time line, it becomes clear that the product has been developed with several features missing, or with functions that aren’t aligned with the original requirements.

You can’t guarantee that this scenario won’t happen on your next project, but you can follow some steps to make your requirements easier to understand, making it more likely that the product will be developed according to the original specifications.

The next time you write a set of business requirements, try the following methods:

30-second summary

Your manager may need to read this document, but probably doesn’t have time to finish the whole file. Plan for this eventuality by including an introduction that summarizes your requirements in a few sentences. State the current problem and some compelling reasons why your changes are necessary to move forward.

Sign on the dotted line

Even if sign-off is implicitly understood, when your reviewers see in print that they are required to approve your requirements, they are more likely to read each point carefully and comment on any points that they want to change or did not understand. An implied sign-off could detract from the visual impact of seeing one’s name on the line.

Arguments are easy as 1-2-3

If your requirements are in paragraph form, readers could overlook important points or lose focus while reading your document. As people have a tendency to skim content, each requirement should be separated in a numbered list to avoid losing a critical piece of functionality.

Jargon-free language

People from different departments will likely be reading the requirements, so the document should be easily understood by all of them. This means avoiding overly-technical language that could confuse or alienate your readers. The easier it is for readers to understand the language, the more likely your requirements will be interpreted correctly.

A picture tells a thousand…

Images of the required changes not only help to break up the text, but they serve as useful visual aids to illustrate your points and help readers quickly understand the nature of the requirements. Screenshots should be sized and cropped to focus on the requirement. You can use a number of free or low-cost software tools to design the screenshots.

Following these points won’t ensure that your requirements are always read and understood, but they will help you present your work in the best light and create the best circumstances for communicating your goals for a new project.

2010
12/05
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Saving Your Startup With a Project Manager

Traditionally, most technology startups hire the resources they view as critical to getting the new product off the ground. Sales and engineering staff usually make the cut, while project managers do not.

While this move might keep the startup’s overhead low in the beginning, failing to hire project managers could mean depriving the team of a vital skillset needed to ensure a successful launch.

Skilled Project Managers bring many crucial abilities to the table, including:

Making sure everyone is on the same page

Each department has their own objectives for a project, but a project manager can guide the group to make sure that each team has the same understanding of the project’s goals and success criteria. This is especially important after the project is complete, otherwise you may learn that the outcome didn’t live up to the expectations of some team members.

Understanding how to bridge the gap

Staff members might be experts in their fields, but it’s unlikely that there are too many people with the drive to learn each department’s operations, and understand the issues they care about. Project managers can communicate with each team and push their issues up to management as required.

Sounding the alarm when it’s needed

While developers are stressing about a particular function, and sales teams are fretting about a call that didn’t go quite as planned, the project manager is thinking about the critical path. The PM knows which tasks could delay the launch, and which tasks are not going to stop the show. This knowledge is important when team members will be working long hours on tight timelines.

Keeping the team focused

Some startups may have multiple projects in the pipeline with little day-to-day management, and it’s very easy for team members to get sidetracked. These diversions are acceptable, unless they cut into critical project time. The project manager can check in with team members and identify these patterns early in the process, before they impact the critical path later.

Creating and maintaining a knowledge base

Most contributors are focused on their specific tasks, and in the startup environment, are often too busy to document their work as they go along. Good project managers not only document the goals, risks and lessons learned for each initiative, they can set up a knowledge base so that the startup continues to learns from future projects.

Small tech companies often mistakenly associate project management with bureaucratic process and excessive documentation, but the field can be adapted for the startup environment. The addition of a savvy project manager can ensure fewer missed deadlines and tasks that go over budget, while keeping the team aligned and the launch on schedule.

2010
10/18
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Quick and Dirty Project Portfolio

For most organizations, project portfolios are crafted with large, expensive enterprise software applications, or multiple versions of an Excel spreadsheet that stay perpetually out of date. If you’re looking for a fast, interim solution to compile your company’s list of projects into a format that is user-friendly, accessible and free, you can build a quick and dirty project portfolio with Google Spreadsheets.

This isn’t a step-by-step guide, rather a few basic points to keep in mind when you’re building a project portfolio:

1. Create a Google Docs account

Start by creating an account, for yourself or your organization. Go to http://docs.google.com to sign up. If you create an account for your company, you have the additional bonus of a location to store project documents online.

2. Label the columns

Create a spreadsheet, and add some columns that represent the big picture information about your projects. You can include fields like the project name, business unit or functional category, sponsor, current phase, status, start/end date and the project manager in charge of the effort.

4. Validate the spreadsheet data

Use the data validation function to create controlled fields wherever you can. Controlled fields are columns with defined ranges of possible values. This is a good option if you think other people will be editing the worksheet. This way, you’re ensuring that they can’t mess up the results with the wrong data. (e.g. inventing new statuses like “epic fail”)

5. Fill in all of your project data

Be sure to include data on all of the projects for which you have oversight, even efforts that may be too small or large to define in this portfolio. Don’t worry if some of the details aren’t confirmed yet, it’s better to capture everything now in one place and make corrections later.

6. Share spreadsheet with colleagues

For some situations, you may only need to print out the portfolio and bring it to the weekly status meeting as a reference. If you want other people to view or edit the portfolio, you’ll need to share it. Ideally, you should be the only editor to ensure that the data stays valid, but if you need to open the document up, keep the number of people who can change the file to a minimum. Everyone else on the team should be able to view the document.

A project portfolio tool has many functions that Google Spreadsheets can’t provide, including resource tracking, executive summaries, uploads from project management software, and a secure environment. Keep in mind that some organizations may have policies against using cloud-based tools like Google Docs. But if you don’t have an enterprise application in place, and your work environment permits, this quick and dirty solution is a good place to start.

2010
10/03
CATEGORY
Project Management
Web Technology
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Dangerous Assumptions for New Project Managers

On my first few jobs as a project manager, I was convinced that everyone besides me was an expert in the field. I couldn’t question how the company handled projects, because who was I to judge?

When you’re going into a new workplace, assuming that project management at your company is well-developed can be dangerous. I have made the mistake of accepting assumptions like these before:

“My department already has a solid project management process.”

High revenue does not necessarily equal professionalism. A company may have a best-selling product and terrible process standards. As a project manager, your success on the job is often tied to the latter. Examine the company’s past projects and talk with the PMs who worked on those efforts. If you start on a project without a clear process in place, you’ll be accountable if there is trouble later on.

“The company has a clear strategy for the future.”

Management theory tells us that objectives flow from strategy, and projects flow from those objectives. But not every organization has their plan sorted out. Some managers may be focused on building relationships, others on selling a product, and a few may not keep their attention on either. Ask about the long-term goals, and question whether any project is an asset or a potential diversion.

“The team understands what we’re trying to achieve, my questions will slow them down.”

Even if there is an environment of burning urgency, each camp may be panicked about a different problem. Meetings do take time, but spending a few extra minutes to make sure all of the team members understand the project’s goals now will avoid conflict later.

“Our technical staff are in tune with the business, they work next to them every day.”

I have spent time on floors where many employees would rarely leave the confines of their cubicles. Even in the event that the technical staff have worked with the business on projects before, there’s no reason to believe that proximity implies understanding. If there is a lack of communication between the two sides, bring them together.

“We know what to do when the stakeholders ask for changes.”

Abject compliance whenever stakeholders request a change is not a wise approach. But does your management know that? Have a plan to let the stakeholders know that any change will either mean more money, more resources or more time. Ideally, find a way to involve the project sponsor with these changes, so that the VP funding the project understands the real impact.

Eventually, after encountering one too many shocking surprises halfway down the timeline, I started speaking up and asking questions. Don’t be afraid to do the same.

2010
09/18
CATEGORY
Project Management
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The Consultant’s Pre-Flight Checklist

Each time I start at a new client site, there are a few basic resources that I need to start producing work. If I ignore any of these requirements, it’s more likely that I’ll hit a problem early in my engagement.

I tend to think of these resources like a pre-flight checklist. Before a plane can take off, the pilots run through a pre-flight checklist to make sure that the plane is ready to fly. To avoid a crash, or at the very least unnecessary delays in the critical first few days on the job, I always make sure these five points are crossed off on the checklist:

1. Desk

This doesn’t even have to be a dedicated cubicle. One simple solution is to divide an unused room between a small group of consultants. In one of my previous positions, the team converted an empty office into a shared space for six contractors. Just make sure you have a power supply nearby.

2. Computer

You should have your own computer at the ready, but before you plug in, think about whether your computer has all of the necessary software, and whether you can access all of the company Web sites. Some organizations may limit development sites to company computers.

3. Email

Free email providers may have allowed you to send the right message to snag the contract, but once you’re in, a company email address is critical. Through the email server, you can instantaneously pull phone numbers, departments, job titles and even office locations. Without a company email address, you’re flying blind.

4. Voicemail

Chances are if you are reading this blog, you’re probably adept with technology like email. Some people in the office are not, and may stick with the phone, avoiding email like the plague. Most company voicemail systems are on a VOIP network now, so contact the company’s helpdesk to figure out the configuration.

5. Conference Rooms

Consultants need to gather information from stakeholders around the company. It’s harder to do this if you have no place to meet with them. Claiming the first empty room may get you quickly booted out. Instead, you might need to book a conference room via Outlook, a reservation system, or even an old-fashioned paper form.

There are many more resources you might need to stay productive on an assignment, but variety of resources you might need to become productive on a new assignment, but these first five points should be enough to set the stage for success with the client. As I discover more common needs on consulting assignments, I will post them to this blog.

2010
09/09
CATEGORY
Consulting
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