Important Management Tasks within the Company
Requirements management (also known as requirements engineering) plays an important role in the implementation of these tasks. On the one hand, requirements management supports the analysis of customer needs and answers e.g. the question which improvements can be implemented in a production process. On the other hand, it helps management to achieve its own corporate goals and to meet the requirements of stakeholders (e.g. the shareholders of a corporation).
Components of Requirements Management
Requirements management is an important part of every project. For a successful conversion the enterprise must make sure that the requirement definition is fulfilled and also the requirement management received the necessary attention. The requirement definition consists of the requirement analysis, the requirement documentation and the requirement validation. The requirement administration goes still further. Here the measures of the risk management, the change management and the conversion management are used.
Apart from the requirements mentioned an enterprise must have also the complexity management in the view. Complexity management is about limiting uncertainties and probabilities as far as possible. For example, complexity management clarifies how likely it is that a production machine will fail during the manufacturing process.
Requirement Management Actions
The requirement definition covers different actions. The requirement analysis forms the basis for the decisions, which are still to be made in the context of the requirement management. In the focus of the analysis the needs of the customers and the requirements of the Stakeholder are located at an economically led operational sequence. The goal of the requirements analysis is to check whether the company can meet the requirements set by external parties.
In the context of the requirement documentation the enterprise holds all measures, which were converted with the requirement management. This serves not only for comprehensibility, but also as proof. A good requirements documentation should especially fulfill the following criteria:
- All information should be reproduced clearly. The document must not contain any misleading information.
- Every stakeholder should recognize that the company meets its requirements. This requires, among other things, that the document contains only contradiction-free wording.
- The requirements documentation should be verifiable and provide concrete information on how realistic an implementation of the requirements is.
- Finally, the requirements documentation must be complete. Ideally, it should answer all open questions from stakeholders.
- Requirements validation means that all measures of requirements management are interrelated.
In the context of requirements management, the following measures are applied. Risk management checks all operational processes for risks. The risks do not only concern the finances and liquidity of the company. With a detailed risk analysis, environmental risks, technical risks, software risks and project management risks can also be identified. Once the respective risk has been identified, the task of risk management consists of a detailed analysis of the danger that could exist for the company if the risk materialized. Once the analysis is complete, a functioning risk management system provides suitable solution models.
In order to meet the external requirements of customers and stakeholders, the company management often has to implement change management measures. All necessary changes are first recorded and evaluated. To facilitate later tracking, all changes are documented.
An important criterion within change management is the change request. From this, all information is structured. In this way, the change request forms a solid basis for the implementation of the decisions made.
Finally, the implementation management is still missing. In this phase of requirements management, the decisions made by change management are implemented. It often happens that the company follows a new strategy in implementation management. This can be caused, for example, by the fact that the liquidity of the enterprise is to be spared or one uses new technical procedures, in order to further extend the projection before the competing enterprises.
The Role of Systems Engineering
Companies use Systems Engineering to supplement requirements management. It supports the operational production process. This also benefits requirements management, because Systems Engineering is particularly suitable for use in complex production processes. For example, if a company produces coffee machines, fifty years ago the product was a simple one. Today, a coffee machine contains many electronic components that are incorporated into the production process. Other innovations must also be taken into account. For example, a coffee machine can also foam milk on its own or develop various coffee creations. These processes are supported by system engineering.
Fields of Application of Requirements Management
Requirements management is becoming more and more important in everyday business. For a successful introduction the management must ensure the functioning of the following areas:
- Organization - The management must ensure that the responsibilities are clearly regulated. Leading employees on lower levels must prove to be strong project managers. Technological aspects must be firmly integrated into the respective project. What should especially be avoided are missing instances.
- Governance - Every single step in requirements management must be documented. The entire reporting system must be clear and unambiguous for the stakeholders. The management has the task of defining a fixed committee structure.
- Communication - Communication in requirements management also plays an important role. It is advantageous if the distribution of information is clearly defined. This is ensured by unmistakable lines of communication and early, comprehensive involvement of all employees. Topics that do not affect requirements management must be excluded from the outset. In addition, it is no less important that all employees involved in requirements management act with commitment and know what is at stake. The objectives must be understandable for everyone so that they can be implemented quickly.
Advantages of Using Special Software
To support requirements management and requirements engineering, many companies use requirements management software that supports the company management and the employees involved in the implementation of requirements management and system engineering measures. The software provides for a smooth and uncomplicated conversion of the individual actions, which the requirement management requires. For the requirement analysis the software offers likewise the suitable solutions as for the requirement definition.
The requirement management is converted by the software in thew way the management specifies it. Within the range of the risk management the software solution identifies all risks and analyzes it. Afterwards it makes the suitable solutions available. The software records the necessary changes and controls their effectiveness. It then creates the change request comfortably and easily. The software also serves well in the implementation of the measures.
Support for the Achievement of Corporate Goals
Requirement management or requirements engineering is not to be excluded from the entrepreneur everyday life any longer. Both the satisfaction of customer needs and the achievement of important company goals can be accomplished with the actions of change management. Moreover, a company will also meet the requirements of its stakeholders if requirements management is used successfully. With the use of a software solution, requirements management can be successfully implemented in any company. The requirements of systems engineering can also be met by using a software solution for requirements management.