1. G&W Preface Software Specification Lecture 4
Prepared by
Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D.
University of Florida

2. Software Specification: G&W Preface
Gause & Weinberg’s book “...is about the requirements process – the part of development in which people attempt to discover what is desired.”
“desired” or “needed”?
Determining who the “people” are is a major part of the process.
Why “attempt to discover” instead of just “discover”?
We don’t know how to figure out what is NEEDED, but by clarifying DESIRES, people sometimes clarify what they really need and what they really don’t need.
One reason desires can be complex: they come from many people. When creating a product to meet our personal desires (garden, bookcase), no explicit requirements process in needed: we simply build something, look at it, and make adjustments until we are satisfied. (cf. agile development)
Why “attempt”? Software development (and RE) is not an exact discipline...
Software Specification: G&W Preface

3. Software Specification: G&W Preface
“If people don’t know what they want, no development process – no matter how exact, how clever, or how efficient – will satisfy them.”
“...we do requirements work...(in order NOT to build) systems that people don’t want.”
“Anything not worth doing is not worth doing well." In other words…
It’s a waste of time to build an (efficient, robust, user-friendly, reliable, ...) system that nobody wanted in the first place.”
Software Specification: G&W Preface

4. Software Specification: G&W Preface
“The plan in nothing; the planning is every-thing.”(D. Eisenhower)
“The discovery is nothing; the discovering (exploring) is everything."
“The requirements document is nothing; the requirements process is everything.”
Software Specification: G&W Preface

5. Software Specification: G&W Preface
Gause & Weinberg concentrate on “three critical but neglected” human aspects of the requirements process:
Developing a consistent understanding of requirements among all participants,
Developing the desire to work as a team on the project, and
Developing the necessary skills and tools for working effectively as a team to define requirements.
Software Specification: G&W Preface

6. Software Specification: G&W Preface
“Exploring Requirements can be used as a supplement to any requirements process that you now use, formal or informal.”
Software Specification: G&W Preface

7. G&W Preface Software Specification Lecture 4
Prepared by
Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D.
University of Florida