What to include in requirements documentations
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No not a programming question, just an opinion and common practice question. We have recently been having a lively discussion at work with our tech writer and PM about what to include in the requirements documents. They want to add user feedback from alpha and beta testing to the document. My opinion is that the actual feedback doesn't belong there. It should be stored elsewhere and incorporated into the requirements.
only two letters away from being an asset
Feedback on previous versions, or whatever, should go to your product management people, to be taken into consideration when producing requirements. If you don't do agile/scrum, it is also a good idea to produce separate docs (or have info sessions) for the developers who will be working on the project, to let them know the source of each item in the reqs -- this is to improve performance/this is because customers A, F, & G want it, etc. But put feedback directly into the reqs? Not in a million years. It doesn't belong there. The reqs should state, point by point, what the app will do, not what people might want it to do. (You can, of course, cross-refer to proposal documents in the reqs, to point out why a requirement was considered.) Feedback from alphas and/or betas can be used to update and amend the requirements, but in the same way -- the feedback itself should not be in the reqs. The long and the short of it is that reqs say "This is what it must be made to do", not "this is what people would like it to do". The latter is for project proposals. Reqs come later than that.
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peterchen wrote:
"facilitating leverages"
For a moment there, I read "facilitating beverages" (whether it be Dr. Pepper or :beer: ) :laugh:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
Dr. Pepper's a quack, but you can always trust beer.
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Dr. Pepper's a quack, but you can always trust beer.
Mark Wallace wrote:
Dr. Pepper's a quack
Hey! :laugh: Beer is best in the home office. Client sites where beer is inappropriate, Dr. Pepper fits the bill ;P
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
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Mark Wallace wrote:
Dr. Pepper's a quack
Hey! :laugh: Beer is best in the home office. Client sites where beer is inappropriate, Dr. Pepper fits the bill ;P
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
??? Sorry, but I'm going to have to think on this for a while...
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??? Sorry, but I'm going to have to think on this for a while...
No, I'm sorry, but I really don't get it. You say "beer is inappropriate", and all processing just locks up. It's the kind of paradoxical statement that destroyed the computer in Forbidden Planet.
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No, I'm sorry, but I really don't get it. You say "beer is inappropriate", and all processing just locks up. It's the kind of paradoxical statement that destroyed the computer in Forbidden Planet.
Mark Wallace wrote:
"beer is inappropriate"
Client sites that is, professional places of work. Where other people are doing business with multi-million dollar customers. Hope you get it now :~ In my home office, beer is appropriate ;P Actually, most days in the home office are designated beer and pizza days :-D
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
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Mark Wallace wrote:
"beer is inappropriate"
Client sites that is, professional places of work. Where other people are doing business with multi-million dollar customers. Hope you get it now :~ In my home office, beer is appropriate ;P Actually, most days in the home office are designated beer and pizza days :-D
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
You're quite right. I would expect a grateful customer to offer me a decent wine, not beer.
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You're quite right. I would expect a grateful customer to offer me a decent wine, not beer.
Mark Wallace wrote:
grateful customer to offer me a decent wine, not beer.
Either one works :-D It is more of a matter of when it is an appropriate time. You certainly wouldn't want to be wasted when trying to bring in new clients, but a celebration of closing a deal, that's different :rolleyes:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
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Mark Wallace wrote:
grateful customer to offer me a decent wine, not beer.
Either one works :-D It is more of a matter of when it is an appropriate time. You certainly wouldn't want to be wasted when trying to bring in new clients, but a celebration of closing a deal, that's different :rolleyes:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
Actually, that's a tricky one. If you show a potential client thst he's going to have fun, when dealing with you (whether or not booze is involved), then he's likely to think of you first. Laughter works unseen miracles. But, considering what we charge, it's probabaly best to get them well and truly toasted before slapping the contract down on the desk for them to sign.
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Actually, that's a tricky one. If you show a potential client thst he's going to have fun, when dealing with you (whether or not booze is involved), then he's likely to think of you first. Laughter works unseen miracles. But, considering what we charge, it's probabaly best to get them well and truly toasted before slapping the contract down on the desk for them to sign.
Mark Wallace wrote:
show a potential client thst he's going to have fun, when dealing with you (whether or not booze is involved), then he's likely to think of you first. Laughter works unseen miracles.
I agree. It can make it a non hostile environment, in which work can be fun and not some brain-numbing drudgery that needs to be done to pay the bills.
Mark Wallace wrote:
considering what we charge, it's probabaly best to get them well and truly toasted before slapping the contract down on the desk for them to sign.
Yep, anything to take the sting out of it :rolleyes:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
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Mark Wallace wrote:
show a potential client thst he's going to have fun, when dealing with you (whether or not booze is involved), then he's likely to think of you first. Laughter works unseen miracles.
I agree. It can make it a non hostile environment, in which work can be fun and not some brain-numbing drudgery that needs to be done to pay the bills.
Mark Wallace wrote:
considering what we charge, it's probabaly best to get them well and truly toasted before slapping the contract down on the desk for them to sign.
Yep, anything to take the sting out of it :rolleyes:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
Paul Conrad wrote:
work can be fun and not some brain-numbing drudgery that needs to be done to pay the bills.
Say WHAT?!?!? Hell's bells! I'm in the wrong job! Do they have any openings where you are???
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Paul Conrad wrote:
work can be fun and not some brain-numbing drudgery that needs to be done to pay the bills.
Say WHAT?!?!? Hell's bells! I'm in the wrong job! Do they have any openings where you are???
Mark Wallace wrote:
have any openings where you are?
Not at the moment. I run my own small shop. Enough business to keep me busy, hopefully more added business soon, so I can subcontract out to real people.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon