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Secrets of Successful Software Requirements
Work Directly with End Users
When designing a new application or making revisions to an existing application, there is no substitute for the direct experience that end users have. An end user can give immediate feedback on your design to point out awkward or incorrect functionality. They also help to ensure that all controls are logically placed for the most efficient use of the system.
Using an interactive prototyping tool allows you to walk a user through the interface or even allow them to work directly with the prototype so they can quickly suggest improvements. As use cases are being developed, it is a good idea to walk users through the use case to ensure that the use case is well thought out and that all functionality is captured both in the use case and the prototype.
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You are absolutely right ! Been there, done that for 10+ years in a global business environment, and currently offering this as a service for companies who don't have the skills in-house.
What you described is the role of Product Management in a (software) product development environment: to act as the intermediary between the "business" (users, general management, marketing, sales, finance, and who knows else...) and the development team. Consolidate the business requirements, match these against (corporate) strategy, and work closely with the development team to translate the results into technological solutions.
Based on my experience, in many companies this is an underestimated, or even totally ignored part of product development. But, if implemented well, it leads to quicker development cycles, higher quality software, and feature-sets that meet or even exceed the expectations of the end-users. As a result:
and most importantly
To do this right, you need professionals who have the skills to understand / interpret business needs, as well as how technology can be applied to address these. This is a challenging task in a project for a single company, more challenging when you're talking about a single country, multi-client (commercial) application, and a potential nightmare if you're dealing with a (large) number of clients across multiple countries.
People who can do this well are rare, but worth their weight in gold ! With their support, a development team can decrease time-to-market, improve quality, and start to truly deliver on customers' needs.
Erwin Bergsma
Managing Director - Global Retail Business Solutions Ltd
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