Requirements Engineering
Navigating the Pitfalls of Product and Service-Specifications
The Achilles heel of many IT projects lies in the inadequate implementation of requirements engineering.
The elicitation, analysis and definition of requirements during the change lifecycle is further impaired by ever-increasing complexity, e.g. through outsourcing, which leads to a domino effect of project problems.
Particularly in the area of Security RE, an inadequate approach leads to avoidable risks and directly associated risk costs in the balance sheet.
Studies carried out on IT project failures:
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An overwhelming 80% of errors trace their roots back to the requirements analysis stage. This statistic highlights a fundamental disconnect in capturing and understanding requirements accurately.
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Contrarily, less than 10% of mistakes occur during the development phase, indicating that while developers are adept at coding, they are often misaligned with the project's true objectives.
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This misalignment is exacerbated by the project management structure, where the bulk of time and resources are allocated to development and testing phases. Astonishingly, less than 12% of the project timeline is dedicated to requirements analysis, underscoring a critical underinvestment in this pivotal area.
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The repercussions of this oversight are evident in the final product, which frequently misaligns with the company's strategic goals and objectives. This misalignment indicates a failure to bridge the gap between the technical execution of the project and its intended business impact.
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At the core of these issues is deficient requirements management, marked by inadequate processes for capturing, tracking, and validating project specifications throughout its lifecycle.
These challenges underscore the importance of solid requirements engineering (RE) as the cornerstone of successful IT project management, especially in IT security projects.
By improving your RE capabilities, your organization can significantly increase project goals and outcomes and be more aligned with your strategic objectives. Costs due to rework or increased risk costs are significantly reduced.
We offer a holistic approach to requirements engineering in the Business change lifecycle: during Alignment, Definition, Design, Implementation and Realisation.
Our certified Business Analysis Experts (BCS) offer a structured approach for business analysis activities: The BASF Service Framework.
Business Change Lifecycle:
Business Analysis Service Framework (BASF)
The BASF Service Framework encompasses a comprehensive range of tasks that are crucial for successful business change and improvement projects.
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Situation Investigation and Problem Analysis: Identifies and analyzes current business challenges to find opportunities for improvement.
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Feasibility Assessment and Business Case Development: Evaluates potential solutions for viability, leading to a detailed business case.
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Business Process Improvement: Aims to enhance efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing business processes.
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Requirements Definition: Gathers and clarifies business requirements to serve as a project's foundation.
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Business Acceptance Testing: Confirms that developed solutions meet all specified requirements.
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Business Change Deployment: Manages the implementation of changes within the organization to ensure success.
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Stakeholder Management: Engages and collaborates with stakeholders to support project success.
This framework guides projects from research through implementation, emphasizing stakeholder involvement and sustainable benefits.
Our Services:
Requirements elicitation
(Businees & IT Security)
Requirements Analysis & Validation
During requirements elicitation, the expectations and needs of stakeholders are systematically collected in order to obtain a clear picture of the project requirements. This is done using methods such as online surveys, workshops and personal interviews. The aim is to record both functional and non-functional requirements in a structured manner to enable a well-founded analysis. Additional requirements can be derived from manuals, standards or existing system documentation, while direct user observations can also provide valuable insights.
In the requirements analysis, requirements are catalogued, prioritized and checked for overlaps, duplicates and relevance. Feasibility, conflicts and contradictions are checked and the quality of the description is assessed according to defined criteria: clear, concise, consistent, relevant, unambiguous, correct, testable, traceable.
After careful validation and evaluation together with stakeholders, the requirements are incorporated into a requirements catalog.
Requirements Management
The aim of requirements management is to create and maintain clear, complete and traceable documentation of all project requirements. It should ensure that all stakeholder requirements are correctly identified, understood, agreed and implemented throughout the course of the project. Effective requirements management reduces misunderstandings between project participants, minimizes project risks and creates the basis for the successful implementation of the project. It also enables changes to be managed systematically and project costs and timescales to be kept under control by making the impact of requirements changes on the project transparent.
Stakeholder Management
The aim of stakeholder management is to systematically identify, analyze and appropriately take into account the expectations and needs of all those involved in a project or plan. A positive relationship with stakeholders is established and maintained through targeted communication and involvement. This helps to secure support for the project, identify and resolve potential conflicts at an early stage and minimize the risk of resistance. Stakeholder management thus helps to maximize the chances of project success by ensuring that the project goals are in line with the interests of the stakeholders and that their commitment and satisfaction are promoted.
Further services in the area of Business Analysis:
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Situation investigation and problem analysis.
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Feasability Assessment and Business Case Development.
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Business Process Improvement.
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Business Acceptance Testing.
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Projekt Management.
Certificates:
Prince2 (classic & agil)
Scrum Product Owner
Scrum Master
ITIL4
CISSP
Business Analysis
Requirements Engineering