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Managing Requirements in an Agile Environment by Barbara Carkenord

Podcast January 11, 2023 10 AM PST

Table of Contents

Introduction

In the early days of software development, requirements were gathered in a very linear fashion. Business analysts would work with stakeholders to gather all of the necessary information, and then pass it on to the developers who would start coding. This process was very time-consuming, and it often led to missed deadlines and unhappy customers. In 2001, a group of software developers came up with a new way of doing things called agile development. Agile Requirements Management is a methodology that allows for fast, flexible responses to change.

Visure Solutions’ team had the privilege to interview the famous business analyst and project management consultant, Barbara Carkenord. In this interview, we covered many interesting topics such as:

  • Challenges she sees in organizations on how they handle projects and their requirements
  • How to implement a requirements engineering process
  • How to implement an agile methodology within a Requirements Engineering Process
  • How to evaluate a great Requirements Management Tool.

Who is Barbara Carkenord?

Leveraging her passion for education and business acumen, Barbara is devoted to cultivating the growth of the business analysis practice. Barbara’s career boasts professional experience with manufacturing, financial services, and software development while she co-founded two successful business analysis training companies. Presently, Barbara serves on the board of directors for the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), a testament to her expertise in business analysis. 

Barbara Carkenord, a highly-regarded professional with certifications in CBAP, IIBA-AAC, PMP, and PMI-PBA is passionate about aiding people and organizations to thrive through improved communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Barbara provides consulting as well as project management & business analysis training that is designed to help firms augment their delivery of business value.

Barbara’s noteworthy contributions to Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis and PMI-PBA® Exam Prep IIBA’s BABOK® Guide have been invaluable. Moreover, she has devoted 19 years of service to IIBA®, taking part in formulating the worldwide standard for analysis—the BABOK® Guide—and even currently serving on its Board.

What is Requirements Management?

Requirements Management is the process of managing, organizing, and controlling all requirements of a project. This process involves collecting and analyzing stakeholders’ requirements, documenting them in a Requirements Management Plan (RMP), evaluating the impact of changes in those requirements, and ensuring that the right stakeholders are involved in decision-making throughout the project. It also includes tracking progress against established requirements and addressing any issues associated with meeting those objectives. Requirements Management ensures that projects are completed efficiently and effectively while meeting stakeholder expectations. Additionally, it helps to avoid costly rework due to misunderstandings or incorrect assumptions about what is required for the successful completion of a project.

What is the Agile Approach to Requirements Management?

The Agile approach to Requirements Management is a methodology that focuses on continuously delivering small incremental pieces of working software. It emphasizes collaboration, feedback from stakeholders, and adaptability in response to changing needs. The emphasis is on breaking down larger projects into smaller tasks and requirements that can be worked on within short sprints. This enables teams to inspect and adapt the system’s functionality as it progresses through development cycles. Agile Requirements Management places value on customer satisfaction by ensuring that their expectations are met through frequent communication and feedback loops. In addition, there is a focus on flexibility and frequent delivery of working software so that changes can be made according to stakeholder needs without incurring significant costs or schedule delays.

What are the Benefits of Requirements Management?

Requirements Management offers a number of benefits, including improved project management and communication among stakeholders, increased efficiency in development cycles, and better control over cost and schedule. Formalizing the process of capturing requirements, reduces the likelihood of scope creep or conflicting expectations that can lead to costly rework. Requirements Management also helps teams identify changes early on and develop strategies to address them before they become major issues, allowing projects to run smoother with fewer delays. Additionally, Requirements Management is beneficial for ongoing maintenance since it allows developers to keep track of changes made throughout the life cycle of a system. Overall, this process ensures that all stakeholders are on the same page about what is required for successful project completion.

Types of Requirements

Business Requirements – These are requirements that have been imposed on the project from a business perspective, such as deadlines and budget constraints. For example, a business requirement can be:

  • a procedure they must embark on
  • To complete their task, they require a specific piece of data
  • A business regulation that oversees both the process and relevant data is necessary to guarantee operational success.

Compared to your functional requirements, the needs of your business are typically more steady and concrete.

Functional Requirements – This type of requirement defines the desired behavior of a system or project. They are usually based on user needs and can be expressed in terms of features and capabilities. A functional requirement could include:

  • A feature that allows users to complete their tasks quickly and accurately
  • A feature that enables users to input data into the system securely
  • Specific criteria for validating user input.

Functional requirements are typically more dynamic than business requirements since they can change as technology advances.

Business Requirements Vs Functional Requirements

The primary difference between business requirements and functional requirements is that business requirements are imposed by the business from a strategic perspective, while functional requirements are based on user needs. Business requirements typically focus on the overall goals of the project, such as budget constraints and deadlines, while functional requirements focus on features and capabilities. Business requirements tend to be more concrete and steady, while functional requirements can change over time as technology evolves.

Agile Requirements Management Lifecycle

The agile requirements management lifecycle consists of four steps: Discovery, Development, Delivery, and Done.

Discovery is the first step in the process and it is where you gather information about the project and what the customer wants. This phase can be very time-consuming, but it is important to get it right so that you have a clear understanding of the project before you begin development.

Development is the second phase of the agile requirements management lifecycle. In this phase, you will start developing the software based on the requirements that you gathered in the discovery phase. It is important to work in short sprints so that you can be responsive to changes that occur during this phase.

Delivery is the third phase of the agile requirements management lifecycle. In this phase, you will deliver the software to the customer so that they can start using it.

Finally, the Done phase is when the project is complete and all of the requirements have been met. At this point, you will want to gather feedback from the customer so that you can improve the process for future projects.

By following these four steps, you can ensure that your project is completed on time and that all of the requirements are met. Agile requirements management is a great way to manage software development projects because it is fast, flexible, and focused on delivering value to the customer. If you are working on a project, make sure to use an agile approach to ensure success.

Challenges with Agile Requirements Management:

  • Not Having A Proper Requirements Management Tool –  One of the biggest challenges with using agile requirements management is not having a proper tool to capture and manage requirements. Without an effective way of capturing, tracking, and managing your requirements, it will be difficult to successfully complete the project.
  • Incomplete Requirements – Another challenge with agile requirements management is incomplete or ambiguous requirements. If you don’t have a clear understanding of what the customer wants from the beginning, it can lead to delays in development and increased costs.
  • Lack Of Communication – Agile requires constant communication between stakeholders in order for it to be successful. Without regular feedback from customers, it can be difficult for developers to accurately interpret their intentions and deliver what they need on time. Not
  • Prioritizing Requirements – Lastly, when working on an agile project, it is important to prioritize the requirements. With limited time and resources, it can be difficult to focus on all of the features that have been requested. Prioritizing the requirements will help ensure that only the most important features are delivered in order to meet the customer’s needs. 
  • Cybersecurity – Cybersecurity is important for agile requirements management because it helps protect sensitive information that may be stored in the requirements management tool. Without proper security measures in place, there is a risk that confidential information could be leaked or stolen. To help mitigate this risk, it is important to have a strong cybersecurity plan in place before starting an agile project. This plan should include measures such as encrypting data, setting up user permissions, and creating backups.

By understanding these challenges and actively addressing them during development, you can ensure the successful completion of your project with Agile Requirements Management. It is important to keep communication open throughout the process so that everyone is aware of any changes or updates. Additionally, having a proper tool for capturing and managing requirements can help streamline the process and make sure no details are overlooked.

Agile Requirements Gathering Techniques

Agile requirements gathering is all about understanding the needs of the customer and being able to respond quickly to changes. To do this, you must use a variety of techniques that allow you to gather requirements efficiently and effectively. Some of the most popular agile requirements-gathering techniques include:

Storytelling – Storytelling is one way to help your team understand what the customer wants by providing context and background information about their project. By using stories, you can explain complex concepts in an easily understandable manner.

Prototyping – Prototypes are great for exploring possible solutions and getting feedback from customers quickly. This technique allows you to experiment with different ideas before committing to a design or implementation plan.

Feedback Loops – Feedback loops are another great way to gather customer requirements. By creating a regular feedback loop, you can ensure that the team is always aware of customer needs and expectations.

User Stories – User stories are another type of requirement-gathering technique where customers are asked to describe their experience using the product or service. This technique allows you to gain a deeper understanding of how and why users interact with your product or service.

These are just a few of the most popular agile requirements-gathering techniques, but there are many more that you can use depending on your project’s needs. Make sure to explore all available options when it comes to gathering requirements so that you can create the best possible product for your customer. Finally, make sure that your system has sufficient security measures in place to protect customer data. This is an important step in the agile requirements management process.

How to Write Great Agile Requirements?

Barbara Carkenord suggests that requirements should be segmented into manageable parts to facilitate ease of tracing and maintenance in the form of a glossary, which includes comprehensive information such as purpose, utilization, and appearance.

When writing agile requirements, keep the following tips in mind:

Be Clear and Concise – Clarity is essential when writing requirements. Make sure they are concise and written in layman’s terms so that everyone involved can understand them.

Focus on Measurable Metrics – Requirements should be focused on measurable metrics like cost, time, and quality. This will make it easier to track progress and determine if the requirement has been met or not.

Be Specific – Requirements should be as specific as possible so that everyone involved knows exactly what is expected of them.

Keep Track of Changes – Make sure to keep track of changes throughout the process so that everyone is aware of what’s happening at all times. By doing this, you can avoid any confusion or misunderstandings that could arise from changing requirements.

Review Regularly – Lastly, review your requirements regularly to ensure they are still valid and up-to-date. This will help you stay on top of any changes that may have occurred in the project since the initial requirements were written.

Use a Proper Requirements Management Tool –  When writing requirements, using a proper requirements management tool is essential. This tool will help you comply with various industry standards as well as keep track of all the changes that have been made to the requirements throughout the project and make sure everyone is kept in the loop.

By following these tips, you will be able to write effective agile requirements that will help your team understand what needs to be done and how it should be accomplished. By taking the time to create clear and concise requirements, you’ll ensure that nothing gets overlooked and all details are covered. That way, everyone involved can move forward confidently with a shared understanding of the goal.

How to implement the Agile Requirements Management Lifecycle?

Successfully implementing the agile requirements management lifecycle requires careful planning and collaboration between all stakeholders. To begin, you must assemble a team of project managers, developers, testers, customers, and other stakeholders who can work together to ensure success throughout the process.

Next, set clear objectives for each phase of the cycle so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities. This will help to keep everyone on track and prevent misunderstandings or wasted time.

The key to successful implementation is communication. Make sure to communicate regularly with all team members and keep them informed of progress reports so that they know where things stand at any given time. Additionally, make sure to hold regular meetings with stakeholders to discuss progress updates and changes in customer requirements as needed.

Finally, make sure to review customer feedback regularly and incorporate it into the product or service as needed. This will help you ensure that your project is always meeting the customer’s needs and staying on track. By following these steps, you can successfully implement an agile requirements management lifecycle for your next project.

Once the project is complete, make sure to evaluate how well the process worked and document any areas of improvement. Gather feedback from stakeholders and collect data that can help you optimize the process in the future. This will ensure that you are able to continuously improve your agile requirements management processes and produce the highest quality of product or service possible.

This data can then be used to inform future projects and create a more efficient workflow for everyone involved. Additionally, make sure to reach out to customers for their thoughts on the final product or service so that you know what worked well and what may have been improved. By gathering this feedback, you can continue to refine the process and create better products for customers in the future.

By following these steps, you will be able to successfully implement the agile requirements management lifecycle and ensure customer satisfaction with your product or service. With careful planning, regular communication, and customer feedback, you can create a successful project that meets customer needs every time.

The Benefits of an Agile Requirements Management Lifecycle

An agile requirements management lifecycle can provide numerous benefits for customers and stakeholders alike. By following this process, you can ensure that customer requirements are gathered quickly, understood thoroughly, and implemented efficiently. Additionally, it helps promote collaboration between team members and encourages stakeholders to provide their input on the project. This allows for a more streamlined development process that focuses on customer satisfaction. Additionally, by involving customers in the feedback loop throughout the project, you can ensure that their needs are met in an efficient manner. Finally, using an agile approach also saves time as changes can be implemented as they arise without requiring extensive planning or redoing parts of the project.

What Industries can Adapt Agile Methodology?

Agile Methodology can be adapted to many industries such as software engineering, IT services, eCommerce development, digital marketing, product design, and launch and customer service. It is especially beneficial for industries with fast-paced environments that require frequent changes. Agile allows teams to be flexible and adjust quickly to customer needs while also producing quality work efficiently. This makes it an ideal process for organizations that need to be able to quickly pivot and iterate on products or services without sacrificing quality or customer satisfaction.

Agile in Aerospace and Defense

The aerospace and defense industry is highly regulated, with long product development cycles. Agile is a software development methodology that helps teams manage complexity and deliver value early and often. In an agile environment, requirements are divided into small, manageable pieces called user stories. Development teams then work in short sprints to deliver working software that meets the needs of the user stories. At the end of each sprint, the team evaluates what has been accomplished and identifies any areas for improvement.

There is currently a lot of disruption in the aerospace and defense industry. With changing market conditions and customer needs, companies need to be agile in order to stay competitive. This will help them adapt more easily to increased volatility while still being profitable.

Agile in Medical Device Industry

Healthcare organizations should adopt agile practices to improve patient satisfaction and deploy working solutions more quickly. Healthcare experts should begin by learning about agile applications in the sector’s history, principles, and advantages.

Historically, the development of medical goods has been done using a “waterfall” approach, in which each stage of a project builds on the one before to deliver exactly what was specified in the requirements document upfront. Agile provides a more adaptable method than traditional waterfalls do, allowing for learning and evolving requirements to arrive at a better solution.

The following are AAMI TIR45:2012’s requirements for medical product development that were identified in the prior section: 

  • Quality
  • Productivity
  • Predictability
  • Product Effectiveness
  • Safety

The quality of a product is measured throughout the development process rather than after completion. The Agile approach uses testing as you go to establish the concept of “done.” As a result, productivity improves since engineers who work on the project know what it means to be “done” before beginning any work. Engineers on a regular basis and at every stage of development show an operational product to the owner.

When the owner is regularly shown, touched, and felt the product throughout the process, product effectiveness increases. This also aids in predicting when and where the project will fall behind schedule or exceed the budget.

Agile in Automotive

Agile is a methodology that values people and collaboration over processes and tools. Agile focuses on delivering working software to customers as quickly as possible while still maintaining high standards of quality. In order to do this, agile teams work in short cycles, or sprints, which allows them to rapidly adapt to changes and deliver value throughout the product development process.

Many companies in the manufacturing industry, not just ones in the automotive sector, have been agile for a while now. Waterfall management is being abandoned in favor of iterative processes that are inherent to agile project management. With this new focus comes frequent delivery in smaller batches as well as adaptability, team collaboration, and customer collaboration. Many companies use different types of agile methodologies like Kanban or Scrum; some might even use SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework).

Agile in Pharmaceuticals

The pharmaceutical industry is inherently complex and volatile, with a high cost of failure. This makes it difficult for traditional waterfall project strategies to succeed. Agile can help mitigate the risk by allowing for continuous testing and verification at the development stage.

Agile methodologies such as Kanban or Scrum focus on customer-centricity, flexibility, and collaboration between all stakeholders involved in product development. Working with smaller batches gives teams more control over changes that need to be made mid-development cycle without requiring a full rework of an entire project. In addition, agile encourages continual feedback from customers and other stakeholders throughout the development process which helps ensure that products meet their needs and expectations.

Agile in Banking and Finance

The banking and finance industry is constantly changing and evolving due to regulatory changes, customer demands, shifting trends, and technological advancements. It’s also a highly competitive market where agility is key in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Agile allows for organizations to adopt an iterative approach toward their product development process which helps them remain flexible and responsive to customer needs. Agile encourages collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the project from ideation through development to deployment. Teams are able to quickly develop prototypes, get feedback from customers, make necessary changes if needed, and deploy working solutions more quickly.

Process of Agile Requirements

Agile requirements begin with customer conversations. Through conversations, product owners and engineers are able to understand the customer’s needs and challenges, which helps them define a set of business objectives that will shape the functionality of the product.

Product owners then use user stories to capture the requirements in a more concise way. User stories focus on describing how users will interact with the system and provide developers with an understanding of what features need to be developed. Product owners also prioritize user stories based on customer value, so that teams can focus their efforts on delivering features that have the most impact on customers first.

Next, teams work towards implementing these requirements using Agile principles such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD), and pair programming. This allows teams to rapidly develop, test, and deploy features as quickly as possible with minimal risk.

Finally, agile teams will use reviews and feedback from customers and stakeholders throughout the process in order to keep track of progress, identify areas for improvement, and refine their approach if needed. Through this iterative process, teams are able to ensure that they are delivering products that meet customer needs while still maintaining high standards of quality.

The flavors of Hybrid Development: Wagile and Agifall

Two of the most popular hybrid development methods are Wagile and Agifall. Wagile is a combination of Waterfall and Agile methodologies that merges the predictability of Waterfall with the flexibility of Agile. This approach starts with a detailed analysis phase, followed by an iterative testing process instead of a traditional waterfall-style deployment. As new requirements come up or changes need to be made, they can be addressed immediately without disrupting existing workflow.

The goal of this method is to provide fast feedback while still ensuring quality control by utilizing both predictive and adaptive techniques throughout the project lifecycle. The Agifall methodology follows similar principles as Wagile but focuses more on integrating long-term planning into an agile framework. It combines the benefits of both Waterfall and Agile approaches, creating a hybrid that facilitates a plan-driven approach to development while also providing an iterative process for responding to customer feedback or market demands.

Both Wagile and Agifall offer teams a balanced approach to developing software projects, combining traditional methods with modern agile techniques. By leveraging each methodology’s strengths, teams can create better applications in less time without sacrificing quality. Hybrid development is therefore an attractive option for many organizations looking to develop custom solutions quickly and efficiently.  Regardless of which method you choose, hybrid development provides numerous benefits that help make software projects successful. With its combination of speed and quality, hybrid development is sure to be a popular choice among developers for years to come.

Hybrid Development: The Advantages

Hybrid development combines the best of both traditional and agile methods into one approach that streamlines the software development process. By leveraging aspects from each methodology, hybrid development provides numerous advantages for teams looking to develop custom solutions quickly without sacrificing quality.

The greatest advantage of hybrid development is its flexibility. Teams can apply different techniques depending on the project’s needs; for example, if there is an urgent need for a feature then an agile approach may be used, while if there is more time for development then a traditional approach may be employed. This allows teams to make the most of their resources and adjust their plans as needed in order to meet customer expectations.

Hybrid development also helps teams guarantee quality by leveraging aspects from both approaches. For example, the use of automated tests can help ensure that any changes made do not break existing features and are consistent with established standards. Additionally, the use of iterative methodologies ensures that customer feedback is incorporated into the development process, allowing teams to quickly adjust their plans based on user needs or market demands.

Overall, hybrid development provides a great way for teams to develop custom solutions quickly without sacrificing quality. Its flexibility makes it easy to adjust plans as needed and its use of both traditional and agile methods makes it ideal for teams looking to create high-quality products efficiently.

Traditional Requirements Management Vs Agile Requirements Management

Traditional requirements management is the process of gathering, documenting, and then organizing user requests and system needs. This generally involves a lot of upfront planning and analysis before any development work can begin. Agile requirements management on the other hand focuses on quick iterations of customer feedback and validation, allowing teams to adjust their plans as needed in order to meet customer expectations.

Traditional requirements management typically follows a linear approach with strict deadlines for completing each phase before moving on to the next one. On the other hand, agile requirements management is more flexible, allowing teams to respond quickly to changes or unexpected problems that arise during development.

In addition, traditional requirements management requires large amounts of documentation which can be difficult to maintain over time. Agile methods emphasize working software over comprehensive documentation, allowing teams to focus on developing the product instead of writing extensive reports.

Finally, agile requirements management offers better visibility into the development process as well as faster feedback loops which allow teams to quickly adjust their plans based on customer feedback or market demands. This level of flexibility makes it much easier for teams to keep up with changing user needs and rapidly deploy new features or fixes. Overall, agile requirements management is a more effective approach and allows teams to develop products more efficiently while still ensuring quality.  

Requirements Reusability in Agile Requirements Management

Requirements reusability is a critical component of agile requirements management. Reusing existing requirements helps teams save time and money by eliminating the need to reinvent the wheel when creating new features or making changes to existing ones. Additionally, reusing requirements help ensure quality control by ensuring that any new features are consistent with previously established standards.

Reusable requirements can be stored in an online repository or shared between teams so they can be quickly referenced whenever needed. By creating a dedicated repository for storing reusable requirements, teams are able to save time during development while still ensuring quality control. It also provides better visibility into past decisions and gives team members a better understanding of why certain aspects of their product were implemented in a specific way.

Overall, using reusable requirements is a great way to increase efficiency while still ensuring that all necessary requirements are met. With the right tools and processes in place, teams can quickly identify reusable requirements whenever needed, allowing them to save time and money while still ensuring quality.

What are Agile Requirements Management Tools?

Agile requirements management tools are software solutions designed to help teams manage their requirements throughout the product development lifecycle. These tools allow teams to easily create, track, and store user stories, feature requests, technical specifications, and more in a single place. By having all of these items stored in one place, teams can quickly reference them whenever needed and ensure that all stakeholders remain up-to-date on the project’s progress.

These agile requirements management tools also provide team members with better visibility into how changes could impact other areas of the product as well as greater flexibility when it comes to making adjustments on the fly. Additionally, they often include collaboration features such as discussion threads or issue tracking which make it easier for remote teams to stay in sync with one another.

Overall, agile requirements management tools are an invaluable asset for any development team. By using these tools, teams can quickly respond to customer feedback or unexpected changes without sacrificing quality and efficiency. With the right tool in place, teams can easily keep their requirements organized and up-to-date while still staying flexible enough to go in new directions whenever needed. This level of agility and flexibility is key to successful product development.​​​

What are the Key Characteristics of Agile Requirements Management Tools?

The key characteristics of agile requirements management tools include ease of use, collaboration features, traceability, and flexibility. These tools should be easy to learn and use so that team members can quickly get up to speed on the project’s progress without having to spend time learning a complicated interface. Additionally, they should provide powerful collaboration features such as discussion threads or issue tracking which make it easier for remote teams to stay in sync with one another.

Traceability is also an important feature of these tools as it allows teams to easily track changes over time and ensure that all stakeholders remain informed of the project’s progress. Finally, these tools should also offer flexible options when it comes to making adjustments on the fly or responding quickly to customer feedback. This level of flexibility is essential for teams that need to remain agile and adaptive during the product development cycle.

Overall, using an agile requirements management tool can help teams save time and money while still ensuring that all necessary requirements are met. By having all user stories, feature requests, technical specifications, and more stored in one place, teams can quickly reference them whenever needed and ensure that all stakeholders remain up-to-date on the project’s progress. With the right tools in place, developers can easily manage their requirements throughout the entire product development lifecycle.​ ​​

According to Barbara, some major important characteristics of an effective agile requirements management solution include:

  • Impact Analysis – Impact analysis allows teams to understand the impacts of changes on other areas of the product, as well as facilitates communication between stakeholders.
  • Requirements Reusability – Requirements reusability makes it easy for teams to quickly reuse and modify existing requirements.
  • Data Models – Data models help teams visualize the relationships between requirements and components.
  • Visualization – Visualization allows teams to quickly comprehend complex requirements and create diagrams that show the relationships between objects.
  • Cybersecurity – Cybersecurity features help protect sensitive data from malicious actors.
  • Reusability Glossary – Glossaries are useful for teams who need to quickly look up definitions or descriptions of terms.

Agile Requirements Management: Best Practices

There are a few best practices that you should follow when using agile requirements management.

Backlog Grooming is a Must – Your backlog is critical in an agile process. Your backlog is the same as your requirements document in an agile requirements management approach. It’s important that it be well-organized and well-planned.

Although Agile requirements do not mean you should stop making large plans or key documentation, one of the main characteristics of Agile is that documentation should only be done if it will add value. Too much documentation will lead to more work, confusion, and wasted time. In agile, you want your team to be as efficient as possible without any excess weight holding them back.

Requirements gathering is extremely important because it sets the goal for the project. Seeing requirements come to fruition in a tangible way that we can test and validate against is what drives us. We never want to just write things down for writing’s sake–the goal is always something more.

Wireframes and Prototypes are Key – The foundation of agile requirements management is prototyping and wireframing the needs. Making an idea, and a function, and making it real are all part of the process. We adore rapid agile prototyping at Justinmind.

Creating many different prototypes that may all prove requirements has a lot of value for the team and the client. Sometimes seeing it in person might affect how the client feels about a need or simply force the design crew to change direction. That’s something you want to happen. It’s exciting to witness a requirement come true because it helps you put things into perspective.

This is especially true for non-UX designers who are the stakeholders. A written requirement alone makes it difficult for a business analyst to picture the actual product. It’s hard to explain things in words when it comes to abstract needs. You don’t want people to be left guessing about what the requirement will feel and look like. You want them to see it for themselves.

Agile workflows are constantly moving and requiring changes on the fly, so it’s paramount to have a professional prototyping tool that can easily make those required changes. A series of wireframes detailing the requirements play a significant role in helping agile teams communicate their ideas clearly and efficiently.

In Barbara’s Opinion, What Separates Successful Project From Unsuccessful Ones?

Does Someone Use The Product Created?

Barbara differentiates between a successful and an unsuccessful project by evaluating if the developed product is being used by the target audience or not. It doesn’t matter how much the cost of production was, how much time it took to develop the product, the staircase the developers took to develop the product, or how many people were involved. 

Bottom line is if we build something and people use it and get valuable and satisfactory output, then it was worth it. That is what Barbara would call a success story. 

Visure Requirements ALM Platform

If you are looking for a requirements management tool that can help you with your agile projects, then you should check out Visure Requirements. Visure Requirements is a requirements management platform that helps teams to manage their requirements in an agile way. With Visure Requirements, you can easily create and manage your requirements, track changes, and generate reports.

Visure Requirements is the perfect tool for teams that want to be successful with their agile projects. If you are looking for a tool to help you manage your requirements, then you should definitely check out Visure Requirements.

The most important features of Visure include:

  • Traceability – Visure also helps you in maintaining full traceability between your system and all the software requirements, risks, tests, and other artifacts. Furthermore, Visure assists you in generating full traceability reports as well. 
  • Better Collaboration – Visure offers customizable user interfaces on the basis of the project you are working on. All the information is properly organized on these interfaces allowing all the individuals to work together while remaining on the same page.
  • Data Models – Visure supports many development processes like Agile, V-model, etc. At Visure, we ensure to analyze the specific problems that are inherent in business models and provide a solutional data model for each specific need. These data models are customizable to relate to the client’s internal processes and can be enforced as required.
  • Impact Analysis – Visure is essential for groups constructing intricate products and systems, due to its real-time end-to-end traceability feature. This Impact analysis tool captures the connections between requirements, specifications, design elements, and tests which are then analyzed in order to evaluate what modifications have been instigated. You can be sure your team will benefit from this invaluable resource as it provides comprehensive insight into changes that may need to occur within complex projects.
  • Cybersecurity – Visure is equipped with all the necessary cybersecurity measures that are needed to protect your project and data. All the crucial information is stored in secure cloud systems and only authorized personnel can access it. The system has been tested thoroughly against a wide range of cyberattacks, ensuring that your data stays safe even in case of a security breach.
  • Requirements Reusability – With Visure, you can effortlessly reuse components from current or past projects across multiple new ones. This includes requirements, standards, tests, and any other items within the tool. In addition to this benefit, these components also represent a group of elements as well as their relationships between them; for example requirements services tests use case guidelines – all in one place. Visure’s ALM platform offers multiple reuse modes like copy-paste, copy-link, link, and share allowing you to effortlessly duplicate requirement components on the same project with necessary notifications and updates propagated in real time. With this advanced feature of Visure Requirements ALM Platform, your work related to requirements management is made easier than ever before.

Where Can People Find More About Barbara Carkenord?

You can find more about Barbara through her website at https://carkenord.com/. Her website is updated regularly with various blogs and her amazing work in the Requirements Engineering Industry. Barbara is also a proud member of the International Institute of Business Analysis’ (IIBA) Senior Leadership Team. She provides training and consulting to help companies improve their analysis maturity, consistency, and effectiveness. She combines her entrepreneurial and business analysis experience with her love of education to promote the development of the business analysis practice.

Conclusion

Visure Requirements is a powerful requirements management platform that helps teams to manage their requirements in an agile way. It offers many features such as traceability, better collaboration, data models, impact analysis, cybersecurity, and requirement reusability. With Visure Requirements Platform, you can easily create and manage your requirements, track changes, generate reports and reuse components from current or past projects across multiple new ones. Therefore it is the perfect tool for teams that want to be successful with their agile projects.


With its advanced features and capabilities, Visure Requirements is the ideal solution for any team that wants to streamline its requirements management process. By providing a comprehensive platform capable of handling complex projects easily, Visure allows teams to collaborate efficiently on their requirements without sacrificing quality. If you are looking for an agile requirements management tool with all the necessary features, then Visure is the perfect choice for you. Try it out today and see how much time you save!

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