Requirements Management

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Questions and Answers

What is the most robust approach to version control?

Manually labeling each revision of a document according to a standard convention

Using a requirements management tool

Using a word processor’s revision marks feature

Storing requirements documents in a version control tool (correct)

What is the primary purpose of tracking requirements attributes?

To automatically populate the requirement

To identify the author of the requirement

To provide additional information about the requirement (correct)

To understand the rational behind the requirement

What is an example of a system-generated attribute in requirements management tools?

Stakeholder to contact with questions

Date the requirement was created (correct)

Priority

Status

Why is it important to track the status of each functional requirement?

To measure the project progress Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of tracking rejected requirements?

To prevent them from resurfacing later Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between the two alternative answers in the example?

The first answer is subjective, the second is objective Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of comparing the current status of a project to the expectation of what 'complete' means?

To measure the project progress against the expectation Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of using a requirements management tool to store requirements?

It provides a central location for all requirements Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of Requirements Management?

To maintain the integrity and accuracy of requirements agreements throughout the project Signup and view all the answers

What is a Requirements Baseline?

A set of requirements that stakeholders have agreed to, often defining the contents of a specific planned release or development iteration Signup and view all the answers

What happens to requirements when they are baselined?

They are placed under change management Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to store requirements in an RM tool?

To identify requirements that belong to a specific baseline and manage changes to that baseline Signup and view all the answers

How can a project accommodate new or changed requirements?

By deferring lower-priority requirements to later iterations or cutting them completely Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Version Control?

To uniquely identify different versions of an item Signup and view all the answers

When should Version Control begin?

As soon as the requirement is drafted Signup and view all the answers

What should each circulated version of a requirements document include?

A revision history that identifies the changes made, the date of each change, the individual who made the change, and the reason for each change Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Requirements Management

Requirements management includes all activities that maintain the integrity and accuracy of requirements agreements throughout the project.
It helps to ensure that the effort invested in requirements development isn't lost.
It reduces the expectation gap by keeping all project stakeholders informed about the current state of the requirements throughout the development process.

Requirements Management Activities

Documenting these activities and training practitioners in their performance enables the members of the organization to conduct them consistently and effectively.

Requirements Baseline

A requirements baseline is a set of requirements that stakeholders have agreed to, often defining the contents of a specific planned release or development iteration.
It can include business requirements, user requirements, functional and nonfunctional requirements, a data dictionary, and various analysis models.
At the time a set of requirements is baselined, typically following review and approval, the requirements are placed under change management.
Subsequent changes can be made only through the project's defined change control procedure.

Version Control

Version control applies at the level of both individual requirements and requirements sets, commonly represented in the form of documents.
Begin version control as soon as you draft a requirement or a document so you can retain a history of changes made.
Every team member must be able to access the current version of the requirements.
To minimize confusion and miscommunication, permit only designated individuals to update the requirements, and make sure the version identifier changes whenever an update is made.
Each circulated version of a requirements document or each requirement in a tool should include a revision history that identifies the changes made, the date of each change, the individual who made the change, and the reason for each change.

Version Control Methods

The most robust approach to version control is to store the requirements in a requirements management tool.
Track changes using a word processor's revision marks feature.
Store requirements documents in a version control tool, which will let you revert to earlier versions if necessary and know who changed each document, when, and why.
Simplest way is to manually label each revision of a document according to a standard convention.

Requirements Attributes

RM tools typically provide several system-generated attributes in addition to letting you define others.
Potential requirements attributes to consider include date the requirement was created, current version number, author, priority, status, origin or source, rational, release number, stakeholder, and validation method.

Requirements Status Tracking

Tracking the status of each functional requirement throughout development provides a precise gauge of project progress.
Tracking status means comparing where you really are at a particular time against the expectation of what "complete" means for this development cycle.
Choose the status attributes that matter to you, and it's good to keep track of rejected requirements as they tend to resurface later.

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Description

This quiz covers the activities and importance of requirements management in a project, including documenting and training practitioners to ensure consistency and effectiveness.