Article: Requirements Risk Management

[Modern Analyst]

Craig Brown has recently written an article on Requirements Risk
Management:

"I have a hypothesis I want to explore:
Requirements Risk management could be a useful approach to
requirements analysis, and lead to better requirements management.

High level the idea goes like this:
- Risk management is an important part of project management
- Requirements management is also a critical part of the puzzle
- Should we be running a requirements risk management process on our
projects?"

Full article at:
http://www.modernanalyst.com/Resources/Articles/tabid/115/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/212/Requirements-Risk-Management.aspx

[Suzanne Robertson]

Craig,

I read your article with interest. Yes there is, or should be, a tight link
between requirements and risk management. If the requirements knowledge -
from high level requirements to measurable atomic requirements- is formally
defined in a measurable way, then the requirements can provide valuable
input to risk management. In other words if the project manager is
identifying and managing the risks according to what is really happening
then he/she can make relevant decisions and responses to change.

In order to make this link possible the requirements analysts need to have a
consistent way of communicating the requirements so that everyone has the
same understanding of requirements knowledge at every level of detail. Then
the project manager can monitor and use this knowledge.

I have written about this subject in a recent Cutter report, you can
download a copy at

http://www.cutter.com/offers/requirements.html

Also our book "Requirements-Led Project Management" Addison Wesley, 2005 has
more examples on how project managers can use requirements as a common
language for communicating with the team and making decisions.

Kind Regards
Suzanne Robertson

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The Guild's new book Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies - Understanding
Patterns of Project Behavior is to be pubished in early 2008.
Advance orders at Dorset House Publishing and Amazon.com

Suzanne Robertson The Atlantic Systems Guild Ltd.
11 St. Mary's Terrace London
W2 1SU UK

mail: suz...@systemsguild.com
phone: +44(0)20 7262 3395
http://www.systemsguild.com
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