Ensuring Project Requirements Meet Customer Needs Project Planning

1. Who is the customer? Every project has a customer. Most projects have several people or groups who will benefit from the project. A new class, for example, benefits students. It also helps the department, and the school. The potential employers may be considered customers, too. Identify your primary customer. This may be challenging. Make a list of all the groups who will be affected by the project, and try to determine which is the critical or “dominant” group.

2. What do I need to know? What do I need to decide in the project? Every Project Manager has decisions to make about the end product (or service) and its functions, features, and priorities. Your customer may not be able to clarify her/his needs without your help. What will help me make those decisions? Prepare a list of questions that cover the decisions you need to make. Brainstorm with the rest of your project team to be sure you have all your bases covered.

3. What does the customer want? Interview the customer Ask your customer the questions you developed in step 2. What problem they are trying to solve? Often customers think they are telling you what they want when they are actually trying to get you to implement their solution that they think will work. Help the customer clarify If he/she isn’t clear, ask increasingly specific questions to help clarify the need. Be sure and take careful notes.

4. How good is this information? View the project from different perspectives. Is the need real? Is it a “true” need, or is it masking a more basic need? Is it resolvable? Is it important, worth trying to satisfy? Who are the actors touched by this need? Do they all agree on how important it is, and how to satisfy it? Gather any additional information you may need. What has the customer needed before? What have similar customers needed? What problems or complaints were there? What other customers or stakeholders have needs that should be considered?

5. Summarize the needs Based on the information you have gathered, the customer’s input, and your evaluation, write a list that describes the customer’s needs. As the text explains, needs are “inherently” fuzzy. They tend to be qualitative, and descriptive. Be as clear as possible.

An Example 1.First, I identify my customer: Steve. 2.I come up with a list of possible issues and needs to ask Steve about. 3.I interview Steve, and help him clarify his needs. 4.I research available jobs. 5.I come up with the need list (see next slide). My project is to find Steve Johnson a job.

Sample List of Needs Steve needs a job that is close to his house, because he doesn’t have a car. Steve needs a job that makes enough money to pay for his rent, and his school loan. Steve needs benefits, because past injuries make it hard for him to get individual coverage. Steve can’t work when he’s in class.

6. Needs become Requirements Needs are too vague They cannot be directly used as project requirements. They need to be translated into definite, measurable requirements: the functions and features of our deliverable. Requirements are clear and concrete At the end of the project, we should be able to compare the results to the requirements to see if we are successful.

Needs (Not measurable) Requirements (Measurable) Close to his house, because he has no car. Within 3 blocks of bus stop. Enough money to pay for his rent, and his school loan. At least $10 per hour, 20 hours per week. Benefits.At least an option to get health care coverage. Can’t work during class.Afternoon, evening and weekend hours only. An Example Translating Steve’s need into requirements

Quiz Yourself: Which are needs, and which are requirements? 1.No lifting over 20 pounds. 2.Nice coworkers. 3.A quarterly bonus based on performance. 4.Great perks days of paid sick time. 6.Exciting work. 7.An ergonomic workspace. Answer: Just the odd numbered items. Why?: They are measurable!