New!!  Writing Defect-Free Requirements (presentation 410kb .pdf)
Presentation Ivy Hooks made at INCOSE 2005. During this presentation, Ivy address the common types of defects and avoidance and removal methods that can be put in place to rapidly improve the quality and timeliness of the requirements.

New!! Developing Requirements for Technology-Driven Products (paper 88kb .pdf; presentation 495kb .pdf)

Paper written and presented at INCOSE 2005 by Lou Wheatcraft

Abstract: New technology development is often a mainstay in product development, yet projects responsible for developing products based on new technology frequently are over budget, delivered late, poor in quality, and fail to meet customer and user needs and expectations. Two things that contribute to these problems are: 1) failing to define the product requirements up-front and 2) failing to adequately manage the maturation of the enabling technology(s) needed.  This paper introduces several key approaches and processes that address these issues and the many challenges of developing and managing requirements for technology- driven products. 

Managing Requirements for a System of Systems (.pdf 375K)

Article by Ivy Hooks; Published in CrossTalk, The Journal of Defense Software Engineering, August 2004,  Vol. 17 No. 8

Abstract: As we encounter more system of systems (SOS) and more complex SOS, we must consider the changes that will be required of our existing processes. For example, requirements management has been focused on a system or a product. This article looks at how the SOS has evolved, including what parts of requirements management apply to the SOS and where the process will need revision. It also discusses the need for dynamic scope for the SOS and more use of standards to interface the systems. Challenges definitely exist in SOS, not just in the Department of Defense but also in every aspect of the networked world. Our existing requirements management process is necessary, but not sufficient for the SOS.

Papers on Risk Management by Barney Roberts.   Barney has developed advanced, integrated, quantitative techniques for cost-technical-schedule risk management assessments.  Barney has pushed the state-of-the-art in many technical areas and is well published in the professional literature contributing over 70 papers, several of which were Award Winning Papers.

10 Steps to Better Requirements (.pdf 32K)

Paper by Larry Fellows presented at the International Conference on Practical Software Quality Techniques (PSQT)and Practical Software Testing Techniques (PSTT) 2003 North, Minneapolis, MN, on September 10, 2003.

Abstract:  Why do so many organizations struggle with requirements?  There seem to be two paths that organizations follow for requirement definition and management.  Some organizations rush through the requirement phase to get to design and implementation while others have invested in the panacea of requirement tools and processes.  Yet many of these organizations appear to be doomed to the schedule slips and budget overruns caused by the iterative rework cycles of poor and incomplete requirement sets. But all organizations do not have these requirement problems.  Some projects go smoothly and provide the customer what they want, when they want it, with the desired quality.  We call that delivering a winning product.  What is it that differentiates organizations that produce winning products from those that struggle with requirements?

Delivering Quality Products That Meet Customer Expectations (.pdf 57K)

Article by Lou Wheatcraft; Published in CrossTalk, The Journal of Defense Software Engineering, January 2003,  Vol. 16 No. 1

Abstract:  Why is it so difficult for project personnel to deliver a quality product on time and on budget that meets or exceeds their customer’s expectations? A major contributor to project failure is neglecting to spend time at the beginning of the project on the basics. There are critical activities that must be accomplished and agreed to before writing requirements and beginning product development. These activities include clearly defining the project and product scope, including need, goals, objectives, drivers and constraints, assumptions, operational concepts, external interfaces, and feasibility and risk assessments. Unfortunately, many of these activities are often skipped. Developers jump into design without really understanding the reason for developing the product, and what it is they are supposed to do. This article focuses on one of the biggest problems in clearly defining your product scope: a failure to define and agree to the product’s need, goals, and objectives.

The Importance Of Scope Definition Prior to Developing Space System Requirements (.pdf file 188 K)

Article by Lou Wheatcraft;  Published in INCOSE INSIGHT, January 2002, Vol 4 Issue 4

Increase Product Quality, Decrease Development Cost (.rtf file 340K)

Paper By Larry A. Fellows

This paper describes a proven technique, Inspections, for removing potential problems at the source. The Inspection is a technique aimed at eliminating or dramatically reducing the rework required during a product development or maintenance project. The goal is to catch potential problems early, before they contribute to cost increases, schedule slips, and lower product quality at delivery. One hour spent on a product inspection can save tens or even hundreds of rework hours later. Applying this technique is a win-win situation. You succeed in reducing development costs while improving product quality and your customers benefit through reduced costs and higher satisfaction.

What Happens With Good Requirements Practices (PowerPoint file  564K)

Presentation by Ivy Hooks at the RE01 conference held in Toronto, Canada 27 -31 August 2001

We've heard of the problems with bad requirements. We all have horror stories about the things that go wrong, the cost overruns, the schedule slips, the lost opportunities. What happens when you do it right. Some companies and government organizations are making requirement process changes and seeing some wonderful results. In this presentation, we look at what has been done and what has resulted from several real programs. We talk about the things that have worked best, things that did not get the expected results and things that have yet to be tried.

It All Begins With Good Requirements (PDF file 444K)

Presentation by Ivy Hooks at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) 4th Annual Systems Engineering Conference
Strategies for Supportability and Interoperability, Oct 24, Dallas, Marriott Quorum, Dallas, TX

Scope – Magic (pdf file 264K)

The subject of this paper was the topic of a presentation made by Ivy Hooks at the Project Management Institute PMI 2001 Symposium at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, 6 November, 2001.

Why Johnny Can't Write Requirements (html file)

Other papers we feel will be of interest to our clients: