G&W Chapter 5: Starting Points Software Specification Lecture 12 Prepared by Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D. University of Florida

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Let’s do something different in this lecture. Let’s decide what to do NEXT time… “I think we need to bring a large, round desk into the lecture room that has an opening in the middle large enough for me to sit in a chair, and several computer monitors connected to web cameras on every student’s machine.” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Another idea… “We have a wireless network up-and-running in this building. Let’s all come to this location with laptops next time and… Well, just bring them and we’ll figure something out to do with them.” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Okay, how about… “Let’s make the next lecture like a cross between “Firing Line” and “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”.” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Or… “Let’s go observe one of Prof. Dankel’s AI lectures and then make our next one even better!” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Then… “Let’s just dream-up a script for the next lecture and see if it’s what we want to do.” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Or, finally… “We could call the next lecture, ‘All About Starting Points’.” Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Summary “I think we need to bring a large, round desk into the lecture room that has an opening in the middle large enough for me to sit in a chair...” (Solution Idea) “We have a wireless network up-and-running in this building. Let’s all come to this location with laptops next time and… ” (Technology Idea) Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Summary (cont’d) “Let’s make the next lecture like a cross between “Firing Line” and “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”.” (Simile) “Let’s go observe one of Prof. Dankel’s AI lectures and then make our next one even better!” (Norm) Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 Summary (cont’d) “Let’s just dream-up a script for the next lecture and see if it’s what we want to do.” (Mockup) “We could call the next lecture, ‘All About Starting Points’.” (Name) Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5 So what’s the point? All these starting points have one thing in common: the assumption that a solution to a problem exists. The remainder of requirements work can be seen as a clarification of that assumption. Regardless of how a project starts, consider how it reflects a difference between things as perceived and things desired. Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

So what’s the point? (cont’d) A good tool, once you’ve begun in a particular way, is to play at “restarting” the project from each of the other beginnings. Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

So what’s the point? (cont’d) The fundamental idea is to slow down the beginning, to see requirements and think about requirements – as the Zen priests say – with a “beginners mind” for as long as possible. Software Specification: G&W Chapter 5

G&W Chapter 5: Starting Points Software Specification Lecture 12 Prepared by Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D. University of Florida