What’s the number one way you can be sure your investment in custom software is going to achieve your business objectives? Start by clearly defining requirements for custom software.
Defining custom software requirements is challenging, so it’s tempting to skip it. Yet without written, clear requirements, your chances of a successful software development project are slim.
Since 1988 DragonPoint has been refining our process for defining custom software requirements, which helps us deliver on time and in budget projects. Unfortunately, we’ve followed many unsuccessful projects and have had some stumbles (resulting in lessons learned) of our own along the way.
So how do you and your software development team create requirements that work? By avoiding the following common pitfalls.
- Assuming you and the developers understand your business process.
- Not putting requirements in writing.
- Having the wrong person write requirements.
- Not starting with pictures.
Following are details about the first pitfall, and future blogs will cover each of the pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Pitfall 1: Process isn’t clearly defined.
You know how your business works from sales through delivery and support, so it’s easy to assume that your software development team understands your process, too.
There are a couple of ways this can go wrong:
- You don’t have the whole picture. You are the boss, and so your team isn’t telling you about the areas that need improvement or are not working.
- Your software team thinks they have the whole picture. Your software development team assumes they know more than you do about your business.
While you may have a comprehensive understanding of your business, people doing the work may be aware of details about daily challenges. They may not tell you because the issues are too far down in the weeds to bring to your attention.
The software development team’s experience with your company or industry can be valuable, but they need to look for ways that your business is unique, because no two companies are exactly the same.
To avoid this pitfall when defining requirements for custom software, get the real picture.
- Talk to the people doing the work that your new software will automate.
- Find out what works and what’s broken with the current process.
- Put the results in writing – graphically and with words.
- List what works well and what needs to be improved.
- Validate the results with the people performing the work.
In addition to clarifying your business requirements, this will help with the transition to the new software by getting buy-in from the people who will use it.
One of the best ways to fully define your process, including what works well and what doesn’t, is by completing a process improvement project. Doing this before defining requirements for a new software system helps clarify your goals and objectives. DragonPoint has completed more than 50 process improvement projects across industries and business areas including manufacturing, accounting, litigation, sales, packaging, shipping, etc.. Our team would be happy to talk with you about how process improvement might help you optimize your business processes before you invest in new software.
Define your custom software requirements
Successful software development projects are possible if you start defining requirements for custom software to create a system that will meet your business needs.
Of course, great requirements alone don’t guarantee great software. You also need a project manager who has completed more than one successful software development project; skilled, qualified developers; testers who catch every detail; and a support team that prioritizes your success.
Check out some of our additional articles about requirements definition here.
Here is an excellent article that, although it’s from 2018, remains highly relevant. It appears in CIO Magazine and asserts project managers should be warriors, NOT bookkeepers.
If you’d like more information about DragonPoint’s successful custom software development projects and our team, please email sales@dragonpoint.com or call 321-631-0657.
