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Sphinn Home » Usability
How Web Site Requirements Keep Your Project From Exploding
Usability News Source: http://www.searchenginepeople.com
Published: Nov 29, 2008 - 07:02 am
Story Found By: cre8pc 1275 Days ago
Category: Usability
Requirements gathering are something I teach. I’ve been laughed at for bringing up the topic to search engine marketers and those new to web design. Yet, in nearly every case of site testing, there is no site requirements documentation and I can tell.
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from iamlost 1275 Days ago #
Votes: 1

<h3 class="r">Plan!? We don’t need no Stinkin’ Plan!</h3>A bright idea, a quick hack or three, some tricky seat of the pants manoeuvering, and the intertubes belong to me, baby!Requirements? Nah.Perpertual beta and iterate to buy-out!Let the buyer worry about requirements and revenue.Business models are for suits not rockstars!Sadly there are none so blind as those who will not see.None so deaf as those who will not listen.Keep up the good fight, Kim.

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from cre8pc 1275 Days ago #
Votes: 0

Pink Floyd is running in my head, thanks to you, "iamlost"..."We don’t need no education....we don’t need no thought control"I think I just yelled at myself, didn’t I.

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from DianeV 1271 Days ago #
Votes: 1

Good post, Kim. I’d say that anyone (or any company) that launches into developing a website without requirements (what will be included) in writing is probably asking for a longer, drawn out development process.At the very least, a requirements list (or list of what the website will consist of) gives you a starting chance at determining what issues there might be, what will need to be resolved, and the general scope of the project. Without this, you’re setting yourself to walk right into "scope creep".Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with expanding projects, but it’s important to know *when* it’s being expanded by new additions, as opposed to whether something is technically part of the original project.

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from godzhes 1271 Days ago #
Votes: 0

Basically anything that you are working on can be viewed as a "project" and basic project management skills like requirement mangement, scope planning, WBS and others will always be handy.

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from cre8pc 1271 Days ago #
Votes: 0

DianeV makes an excellent point about expansion.  There is a way to do this with a formal Requirements Document, and that is to begin by calling it REV 1.0.  Later enhancements are tracked in updated versions of the same document, such as REV 1.2, 1.3, etc.In QA, there is software used to track many areas, including decisions made on enhancements, who signed off on it, etc. Larger web sites with many functions need this backup.  Not to mention, any way to CYA (cover your ass) is worth investing a little effort in :)

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from DianeV 1270 Days ago #
Votes: 0

It’s a good article, Kim, and it helps to let people know what kinds of issues can arise — and how to plan for them ahead of time.

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