Requirements Management Guide and Best Practices

Summary of Requirements Management Policy

The requirements management policy requires that all information technology projects must include a well-defined problem statement with well-defined business and technical requirements that assure the IT solution satisfies a business need.  Requirements must be thoroughly documented and understood by the project team.  Changes to requirements must be managed throughout the life of the project.

Implementation Guidelines for Requirements Management

Requirements definition is one of the most crucial steps in the process of creating a project.  Without well-defined requirements, managers cannot plan a project, developers and integrators do not know what to build, customers do not know what to expect, and there is no way to validate (i.e., test) that the system satisfies the needs of the organization.

The project manager is responsible for ensuring that technical requirements are defined and the program, or business, manager is responsible for ensuring that business/operational requirements are met. 

Requirements Specification Requirements

At each stage of the project, additional information is derived and documented.  Requirements specification will vary from project to project, based on the size, complexity, and business impact of the project.

State organizations ensure that requirements are documented and understood for IT projects, but the degree of specification and the formality of the specifications vary.  At a minimum, each project must have a business needs statement.  The remaining specifications and requirements traceability tools and techniques are applied as necessary, based on organization-specific management and development procedures.

Project Management