Flight Analysis: How to Effectively Gather and Aggregate Requirements

At the moment when a client comes with the idea of creating a web service and starts talking about it in a free form, it's time to apply the process of requirement aggregation.

But what is it?

In this article, we will look at what requirement aggregation is, what you need to know to properly carry out the process of requirement aggregation, and achieve success in the project.

What is requirement aggregation?

Requirement aggregation is the process of collecting and combining different requirements for a product or project that come from various users or stakeholders. The result is a unified list of requirements that takes into account all incoming requests and desires. This list helps to make the development process more focused and effective, as developers will have a more complete understanding of what needs to be created.

Understanding needs and goals

The first step in requirement aggregation is understanding the needs and direction of the project. In order to properly collect and manage requirements, you need to understand what customers expect from the product and what goals they set for the project. To do this, the team conducts a detailed analysis of needs and identifies the main goals to understand which requirements are important and how they can be integrated into the final product.

A mind map can assist with this point, in which the needs and goals of the project can be described.

Let's take an example of how our team formulates the needs and goals of clients.

Data Collection

After understanding the needs, the next step is data collection. This step means that the team communicates with stakeholders and collects data on product requirements. This process includes user surveys, communication with managers and engineers, analysis of existing data, and so on.

Below are some methods that can be used to gather requirements:

Interviews with stakeholders:

One of the most common methods of gathering requirements. The project manager can conduct interviews with the client, potential users, or other stakeholders to determine what requirements there are for the software product.

Brainstorming sessions:

This involves holding group discussions with stakeholders to discuss ideas and needs related to the software product.

Competitor analysis:

Involves the analysis of competitive products on the market to identify their features and functions that could be applied to the software product being developed.

Prototype development:

This method involves creating a prototype of the software product that can be used to demonstrate its capabilities and functions to the customer and stakeholders.

User surveys:

Can be used to obtain feedback from users about the desired features and capabilities of the software product.

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and their choice depends on the specific conditions of the project and the goals of the client. It's important to choose the right method and tools for collecting requirements in order to get the most accurate information and create a software product that will satisfy the needs of the customer and users.

Product Requirements Analysis

After collecting the requirements, a requirements analysis is conducted to determine the priorities and importance of the product. The analysis includes an evaluation of the technical complexity of implementing each requirement, an analysis of the risks and benefits of implementing the requirements. Based on the analysis, it is determined which requirements should be included in the final product, and which can be postponed for the future or rejected altogether. It's important to remember that not all requirements are equally important, and the team should be able to make decisions based on the analysis and prioritization of requirements.

Let's consider one of our cases as an example:

The company received an order from a client to develop a software product for managing document flow on the portal.

To start the development process, a requirements analysis must be conducted.

1.Studying the order:

The beginning of the requirements analysis is the study of the client's order. In this case, the client is asking for a program that simplifies document handling and reduces the time it takes to create a document and then sign it.

2.Identification of main functions:

After studying the order, it is necessary to highlight the main functions that the software product must perform. In this case, these can be: database management, document flow management, work time tracking, document template creation, etc.

3.Defining requirements for the user interface:

Interface development is an important aspect of a software product. In this case, it is necessary to define UI requirements to ensure the ease of use of the program by users.

4.Technical requirements analysis:

This point is related to the hardware and software requirements that are necessary for the operation of the software product. In this case, it is necessary to define the requirements for the operating system, the power of the computing system, etc.

5.Identification of constraints:

These may be related to the budget, project execution timelines, or other factors. In this case, it is necessary to identify constraints to determine the possibilities and limitations of the project.

6.Checking requirements for feasibility:

After defining all the requirements, it is necessary to check them for feasibility. This will avoid a situation where some requirements cannot be implemented within the project.

Here is what we get in practice:

Requirement analysis is an important stage of the software development process, as it allows to define all requirements for the software product and ensure their implementation within the project.

Documenting Requirement Aggregation

After the requirements have been collected and analyzed, this stage documents them in a special requirements management system. This allows for a unified and centralized source of information about the requirements and tracking their status. Requirement documentation includes the description of functional and non-functional requirements, their priorities, and the relationships between them.

Managing Requirement Aggregation

Also, a not less important process is the tracking and managing of changes in requirements throughout the entire project, which includes recording changes in requirements, their evaluation and approval. The team monitors changes in requirements and updates their documentation in accordance with the changes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that requirement aggregation is one of the critically important stages in product and system development. This process requires certain skills and knowledge, as well as collaborative work between the customer, the development team, and other stakeholders. Correct and complete collection and analysis of requirements is key to the success of the project and its further implementation.

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