estimating the requirements determination of a project

Copyright © 2010 Fish, Gilbert & Associates, LLC, All Rights Reserved http://www.hfgilbert.com.

The Business Basis forSoftware Requirements

andEstimating the

Requirements Determination Portionof a

Product Development Project

By Harry F. Gilberthttp://www.hfgilbert.com


Purposes

• Provide a solid understanding of the business basis for requirements, and,

• How to estimate the time and resources needed to conduct the requirements determination phase of a software development project.

• While primarily focused on software development, the concepts here are applicable to the development of any product, not just software.


Getting it Wrong


Formal requirements come from three sources

Business

Product

User

Level 1:Why the project

is being undertakenfrom a business perspective

Level 3:What developers

need to build

Level 2:What users will be ableto do with the product

Market


Context of Requirements Determination Estimating

Why is requirements estimating performed?

• Respond to a request for estimate• Help client to define the scope of a project• Define resources, skills, and effort • Fit schedule and resource availability


Context of Requirements Determination Estimating

When is estimating performed?• Pre-planning • Response to request• Negotiations

Limits of the estimate:• Covers only the requirements determination part

of a development projectPlan

Define

Design

Deploy

Test

Maintain Retire

RequirementsDetermination

Construct


Understandthe

problem

Requirements Determination and the Systems Life Cycle

Work from the abstract to the concrete:

Scope

High-Level (Business) Requirements

Detailed (System) Requirements

DesignConstructTestImplement….

WHY

WHAT

HOW

RequirementDetermination

Solvethe

problem

Estimate


Understanding the Scope Statement

FunctionalSummary

ContextDiagrams

FeatureSet

BusinessObjectives

Scope Statement

Interfaces toExternal

Environment

InterfaceswithinClient

Environment

BusinessProcess

Diagrams

Industry Process and

Data Frameworks

This is the scope of the solutionrather than the project scope.

Scope Statement

Identifies the key business features of the proposed

solution, and the systems, agents and organizations

which define the boundaries for the solution.


Understanding High-Level Requirements

Business (High-Level) Requirements

A collection of statements that identify the breadth of what a

solution must provide in order to meet the business needs.

Provides an overview of end-to-endbusiness activities, identification

of functions and interfaces,applicable business policies,

and non-functional constraints.

Business Requirements

SystemInterface

Requirements

FunctionalRequirements

Non-FunctionalRequirements(Constraints)

UserRequirements

ConceptualBusiness

Data Model

BusinessRequirements

InitialUseCaseID,

Summary,Actor List,Diagrams

IdentifyBusiness

Rules

BusinessPolicies

Enhancement or supportprojects may have logicaldata models available at

this level also

Information Flow within Requirements Determination

FunctionalSummary

ContextDiagrams

FeatureSet

BusinessObjectives

Scope Statement

Interfaces toExternal

Environment

InterfaceswithinClient

Environment

BusinessProcess

Diagrams

Industry Process and

Data Frameworks

SystemInterface

Requirements


Non-FunctionalRequirements(Constraints)

UserRequirements

ConceptualBusiness

Data Model

BusinessRequirements

InitialUseCaseID,

Summary,Actor List,Diagrams

IdentifyBusiness

Rules

BusinessPolicies

Enhancement or supportprojects may have logicaldata models available at

this level also

Business Requirements

SafetyRequirements

QualityAttributes

SecurityRequirements

PerformanceRequirements

Non-Functional Requirements (Constraints)

UserRequirements

SystemInterface

Requirements

BusinessRules


System Requirements

LogicalBusiness

Data Model

UseCasesEstimate



How to estimate requirements time and resources

• Estimating the requirements determination phase of a development project is an iterative process

• It requires cooperative interaction between the client, the project / program management, and the requirements determination team


Estimating Requirements Determination Activities

The estimate can not and does not include:• Tasks outside of requirements determination• Work performed by 3rd party suppliers• Impact of resource unavailability *• Impact of quality or availability of documentation not

meeting commitments*• Changes to overall scope after project is initiated*• Changes to complexity discovered during the

requirements determination work sessions*

* These items are handled via change request


Critical Success Factors for Accurate Estimates

• Defined business goals, context, and rationale.• Functionally decomposed business model.• Analysis of functional complexity.• Skilled, trained RD team following process and

methodology.• Committed SMEs and stakeholders providing business,

regional, user, and technical knowledge.• Participants have adequate time for preparation and

participation to follow planned work session schedule.• Adequate physical / communication facilities.• Regional and cultural issues are considered.• Quality is built into the requirements determination

process, not “inspected in” afterward


Functions

Decompose the project scope into functions• A function designed to perform a business purpose

• What something is used for, how it is expected to perform. • A not-yet-formalized requirement, or set of requirements.

• Functions must align to business goals and objectives. • Example:

Functions such as “Provide Payments to Contractors” and “Enable Schedulers to Estimate and Schedule Jobs” should align with one or more business goals such as “Provide Accurate Estimates for Prospective Customers,” or with an objective such as “Ninety Percent of All Estimate Requests will result in a Scheduled Job.”


Features

Functions decompose into features• Features are the characteristics and implementation details

of functions

• Features align to functions

• They are based on user requirements, business rules, constraints, and quality attributes*

• Features determine the complexity of functions

* Non-functional requirements used to evaluate the performance of a system.


Deriving Functions from a Scope Statement

• Maintain a list of authorized schedulers• Add, View, Edit, Report

• Maintain a list of authorized contractors and the contractor’s location and area of operation

• Browse, View, Query, Add, Edit, Status, Report, Define area of operation

• Maintain a list of jobs and the area in which the job is performed

• Browse, View, Query, Add, Edit, Status, Report

Functions

Features

Statement“We need to allow schedulers to be able toassign contractors to jobs within thecontractor’s local area”


• Preliminary discussions• Discussions with customer and Subject Matter

Experts, which lead to a Project Profile• Context and Business Process Model diagrams• Existing requirements documentation• Existing system documentation• Decomposition of existing screens

• Service Request documentation• Project Charter• Project Description• Question and response documents

• Detailed requirements estimating negotiations

Where to obtain information for Plan & Define estimates?


Business Process Modeling

Process: A series of activities with a defined deliverable(Example: the goal of a Sales Process is a signed contract)

Activity: A sub-process, function, or objective within the process(Example: Identify a potential customer)

Task: A component of an activity(Example: Establish creditworthiness)

Step: An action taken to accomplish a task(Example: Look up the credit history)

• A business accomplishes its goals and needs through processes.• A process consists of activities assigned to resources• Resources perform tasks (consisting of steps).

Business Need Processes Activities Tasks

Operational Definitions


1. Produce & DeliverProduct

BusinessNeeds

1.1. Plan & Acquire Resources

1.2. Convert Resources toProducts

1.3.Processes

1.1.1. ObtainMaterials &Supplies

1.1.2.ScheduleProduction

1.1.3.

1.1.1.1. Complete Purchase Order

1.1.1.2. Send Order to Supplier

1.1.1.3.

Activities

Tasks

2. 3.

Business Process Decomposition

Steps…..


Level 2

Level 1Level 3

Multi-Level and End-to-End Business Process Models


Multi-Level and End-to-End Business Process Models

Sales Process – page 1 of 2

DevelopInterest

4.1 Determine customer audience

4.2 Assemble presentation team

4.3 Prepare demonstration materials and equipment (if needed)

4.4 Give Level 2 presentation, detailed presentation, and / or demonstration. Marketing reviews presentation / demonstration

4.5 Provide follow-up information (e.g., contact information, meeting schedules)

4.6 Review & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of presentation results (Stop or Continue)

44

AttractInterest

3.1 Determine customer audience

3.2 Assemble presentation team

3.3 Give Level 1 presentation. Marketing reviews presentation

3.4 Provide follow-up information (e.g., further offerings detail, preview material for next presentation)

3.5 Review & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of presentation results (Stop or Continue)

33

For immediate opportunities Proceed to Identify Opportunity

IdentifyCustomer

1.1 Gather contact information for account and sales executives and customer

1.2 Gather customer information

1.3 Determine sales approach

1.4 Review & track.

11New

Business

ContactCustomer

2.1 Call account executive2.2 Call sales executive2.3 Provide follow-up

information (e.g., service line portfolio)

2.4 Educate and coordinate activity with account and sales executives

2.5 Send customized contact letter to customer. Marketing reviews letter

2.6 Call customer2.7 Provide follow-up

information (e.g., brochures, etc.)

2.8 Review & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of contact results (Stop or Continue)

22

For immediate opportunities Proceed to Identify Opportunity

IncrementalBusiness

Client Example


Sales Process – page 2 of 2

PursueOpportunity

6.1 Pursuit team meets and follow-up with customer to define opportunity (repeat as needed)

6.2 Account, marketing, sales, and support organizations produce proposal for customer. Marketing reviews proposal

6.3 Delivery organizations are notified of potential staffing requirements and availability date

6.4 Respond to customer inquiries and requests for further information

6.5 Assist customer with purchasing process requirements and responds / negotiates as needed

6.6 Review & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of pursuit status. (Stop or Continue)

66

CloseSale

7.1 Delivery team identified7.2 Business Partner

Agreements are formalized between account and delivery organizations

7.3 Delivery team leaders meet with customer to define project and develop Statement of Work, if necessary (repeat as needed)

7.4 Customer signs Statement of Work, if necessary - delivery begins

7.5 Account establishes billing arrangements with customer

7.6 Review, document & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of deal results

77

IdentifyOpportunity

5.1 Support and delivery organizations meet and follow-up with customer to identify opportunities (repeat as needed)

5.2 Account, marketing, sales, and support organizations prioritize identified opportunities (Stop or Continue)

5.3 Pursuit team is organized to further define opportunity for proposal development

5.4 Review, document & track. Inform account, marketing, sales, and support organizations of identified opportunities

55RenewalBusiness

Client Example



Project Profile

A formal set of interviewquestions asked to

better understand thepurpose of a project


Project Profile

Can be created pre- or post-Service Request


Extract from Project Charter and Scope Documents

PROJECT SCOPE

This project will determine best practices and products to develop a product track and trace application that meets the global requirements of each user region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe) in our corporation. This includes manufacturing, assembly, and co-located joint venture and supplier operations.

The system architecture will be scalable in design to support both low and high volume plants.

The system interfaces will be required to meet the needs of both in plant and off-site manufacturing operations. The reporting toolbox will be compliant with Quality and Engineering business owner requirements to track local, regional and global common parts from birth to end-product fielding.

PROJECT SCOPE

This project will determine best practices and products to develop a product track and trace application that meets the global requirements of each user region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe) in our corporation. This includes manufacturing, assembly, and co-located joint venture and supplier operations.

The system architecture will be scalable in design to support both low and high volume plants.

The system interfaces will be required to meet the needs of both in plant and off-site manufacturing operations. The reporting toolbox will be compliant with Quality and Engineering business owner requirements to track local, regional and global common parts from birth to end-product fielding.

Client Example


PROJECT OBJECTIVES – Business FunctionalityDesign a software application that supports one global business process for shipping zero defect parts. These plan and define efforts shall include but not limited to:

1.Build a set of manufacturing quality requirements in accordance to be approved by the Corporate Manufacturing Committee

2.Build a set of manufacturing quality requirements in accordance with Corporate Quality Procedures. These plan and define efforts should include but not limited to:

a. Trace quality data for all corporate-made components. b. Trace the following quality on-site manufacturing operations: load, unload, component

marriage points, component divorce points, scrap, rework, hot test, cold test, racking, storage, shipping.

c. Trace manufacturing operations performed off-site of the plantd. Trace storage locations both plant on-site and off-site e. Trace manufacturing process operations performed off-site f. Trace supplier in-bound material. This requirement is dependent on global labeling

standards and therefore may remain as a requirement for future execution.g. Create business case for trace functionality at casting plants.h. Traceability of software versions used in the product

3.Capability to support stand alone manufacturing plants or those manufacturing plants collocated with assembly operations

PROJECT OBJECTIVES – Business FunctionalityDesign a software application that supports one global business process for shipping zero defect parts. These plan and define efforts shall include but not limited to:

1.Build a set of manufacturing quality requirements in accordance to be approved by the Corporate Manufacturing Committee

2.Build a set of manufacturing quality requirements in accordance with Corporate Quality Procedures. These plan and define efforts should include but not limited to:

a. Trace quality data for all corporate-made components. b. Trace the following quality on-site manufacturing operations: load, unload, component

marriage points, component divorce points, scrap, rework, hot test, cold test, racking, storage, shipping.

c. Trace manufacturing operations performed off-site of the plantd. Trace storage locations both plant on-site and off-site e. Trace manufacturing process operations performed off-site f. Trace supplier in-bound material. This requirement is dependent on global labeling

standards and therefore may remain as a requirement for future execution.g. Create business case for trace functionality at casting plants.h. Traceability of software versions used in the product

3.Capability to support stand alone manufacturing plants or those manufacturing plants collocated with assembly operations

Extract from Project Charter and Scope Documents

Client Example


• Traceability of software versions in allmodules as shipped

• Expanded traceability to support off line processing

• Traceability of purchased parts

WinTerm

Flow

RepairLoop

Load Test

InOut

CareandRack

ECV/Button Up-

Production Inventory

Shipping

QUALITY

Expanded traceability by lot number

Expanded containment capability for internal or commercial customers

•Campaign Manager•Repairs & Quality Gates•Export and Import Serial Numbers•Retrieve Serial Number History

CDM

• Support of shipping processes for delivery off or on campus• Expanded traceability for off-site locations

WinTerm

Report Admin.

Plant Configuration Data & Reporting

CDMExpanded traceability of common products across regions

Extract from Customer Overview Diagrams

Track and Trace Program OverviewTrack and Trace Program Overview

Client Example


• Traceability of software versions in allmodules as shipped

• Expanded traceability to support off line processing

• Traceability of purchased parts

WinTerm

Flow

RepairLoop

Load Test

InOut

CareandRack

ECV/Button Up-

Production Inventory

Shipping

QUALITY

Expanded traceability by lot number

Expanded containment capability for internal or commercial customers

•Campaign Manager•Repairs & Quality Gates•Export and Import Serial Numbers•Retrieve Serial Number History

CDM

• Support of shipping processes for delivery off or on campus• Expanded traceability for off-site locations

WinTerm

Report Admin.

Plant Configuration Data & Reporting

CDMExpanded traceability of common products across regions

Extract from Customer Overview Diagrams

Track and Trace Program OverviewTrack and Trace Program Overview

Client ExampleFunctional Groupings Functions

Traceability of software version inall module as shipped

Expanded traceability to support off-line processingTraceability of purchased parts

TraceabilityTraceability of common products across regionsTraceability by lot number

Expanded containment capability for internal or commercial customersSupport of shipping processes for deliver on- or off-campusExpanded traceability for off-site locations

Quality Quality functions

Global Multi-lingual / global support

Reporting Expanded reporting capability

Analysis of Vendor Capabilities

COTS Analysis Comparison to project requirements

COTS vendor short-list selection


Extract from Existing or Prototype Screens

Plant Overview

Client Example


Prioritizing Functions

• Prioritization is essential to successfully estimate requirements determination activities.

• Prioritization is the process of assigning a precedence that orders or ranks one function or requirement over another.

• Prioritization allocates resources to the most important requirements and facilitates making decisions about which to implement and when to implement them.


Prioritization Benefits

• Helps stakeholder focus • Surfaces trade-offs among competing project

goals • Minimizes politics and personal biases • Improves communications • Creates stakeholders buy-in• Control scope creep• Framework for ongoing prioritization• Plan software releases


High-level overview of requirements estimating process

1. Work with the scope statement, process models, other documentation, and the customer to get a reasonably clear idea of the project

2. Break the solution down into functional groups, component functions and the complexity of each (features)

3. Prioritize the functionality (at this point requirements not uncovered)

4. Consider cultural and environmental issues, and the knowledge and availability of participant stakeholders

5. Consider the skills needed to do the requirements determination

6. Estimate the raw effort hours needed to elicit and document the requirements

7. Adjust the raw effort hours for cultural and environmental factors

8. Calculate the man-hours based on resourcing9. Calculate calendar time based on schedules, and cost10. Iterate, negotiate.


Quality / Availability of Business Process Models


Functional Groupings Functions

Traceability of software version inall module as shipped

Expanded traceability to support off-line processingTraceability of purchased parts

TraceabilityTraceability of common products across regionsTraceability by lot number

Expanded containment capability for internal or commercial customersSupport of shipping processes for deliver on- or off-campusExpanded traceability for off-site locations

Quality Quality functions

Global Multi-lingual / global support

Reporting Expanded reporting capability

Analysis of Vendor Capabilities

COTS Analysis Comparison to project requirements

COTS vendor short-list selection

Client ExampleEstimating Functional Requirements


Client ExampleEstimating Functional Requirements

Complexity = Number and Complexity of Features such as screens,reports, calculations, rules, constraints

Business Requirements Functions Complexity Need BPM Use

CasesExternal

InterfacesBusiness

RulesQuality

AttributesBusiness

RequirementsSystem

Requirements

Traceability of software version in engine or transmission module as shipped

M Yes 1 1 3 3 3 5

Expanded traceability to support off-line processing

M Yes 1 1 3 3 3 5

Traceability of purchased parts M Yes 1 5 3 3 3 5

Traceability Traceability of common products across regions

M Yes 1 3 3 3 3 5

Traceability by lot number M Yes 1 1 3 3 3 5Expanded containment capability for internal or commercial customers

M Yes 1 5 3 3 3 5

Support of shipping processes for deliver on- or off-campus

None No 0 0 0 0 0 0

Expanded traceability for off-site locations

None No 0 0 0 0 0 0

Quality Quality functions M Yes 1 0 3 3 3 5Global Multi-lingual / global support M Yes 1 0 3 3 3 5

Reporting Expanded reporting capability H Yes 1 2 5 5 5 10Analysis of Vendor Capabilities None No 0 0 0 0 0 0

COTS Analysis Comparison to project requirements None No 0 0 0 0 0 0COTS vendor short-list selection None No 0 0 0 0 0 0

Standard Nonfunctional From Nonfunctional Tab 15 0 0 0 15 15 15 45

Functional Groupings


Estimating Non-Functional Requirements

Non-functional requirements do not directly address a client business or application need. They address:

A property the end product must possess, such as safety or availabilityThe standards by which it must be created The supporting structure that makes it possible The architecture or regulatory environment in which it must exist


Estimating Non-Functional Requirements

NF Requirement


Estimating Resource Requirements



ResourceSkills



Planning



BusinessProcessModeling



Preparation



JAD



RequirementsManagement

Entry



QualityAssurance



Revision



ProcessDelay



ResourceSource


Environmental Correction Factors


Number of JAD Participants


Location of Work Sessions


Languages spoken


Cultural Considerations


Quality of Existing Documentation


Customer / SME Knowledge


Number of 3rd Party Vendors


Prototyping / Visualization part of RD Activities


Number of User Locations


Number of Supporting Locations


Number of Impacted Customer Groups


Number of Impacted Vendor Groups


Working Session (JAD) Working Environment


Estimate Summary


Review

• It is necessary to understand the underlying business needin order to estimate and gather good requirements with which to satisfy the underlying business need.

• In order to obtain quality results, the requirements determination and estimating activities need to follow solid processes and methodologies.

• It is possible to estimate the time and resources needed for the requirements determination phase of a development project.

• While primarily focused on software development, the concepts presented here are applicable to the development of any product, not just software.


Questions

Harry F. [email protected]

http://www.hfgilbert.com

estimating the requirements determination of a project

Business

requirements time

formal requirements

business basisfor requirements

gilbert associates

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business perspective

project scope

applicable business