Dowload Course Details

 

Overview

This course, based on the acclaimed book of the same name, gives practical, hands-on experience in requirement discovery techniques for system, product and service development. Participants learn how to apply the elements of requirements, such as goals and scenarios, in discovery contexts such as interviews and workshops. The course is highly interactive with group exercises and discussion.

It is structured around the following ten elements of a requirement:
  • Vision
  • Stakeholders
  • Goals
  • Context
  • Scenarios
  • Qualities and constraints
  • Rationale
  • Definitions
  • Measurements
  • Priorities
And the following four ‘discovery contexts’:
  • From individuals
  • From groups
  • From things
  • From trade-offs

Audience

  • Anyone involved in creating or changing systems, processes, products, or services, including business analysts, requirements analysts, product managers, project managers, systems and software engineers, software developers.
  • Anyone who needs to find out what people need from systems, products or services under development.

Format

The course is highly interactive, consisting of
  • A minimum of theory (the rest being covered by the textbook), introducing the key techniques and concepts of requirements discovery
  • Team exercises, in which groups of participants work together, applying the techniques just taught; present their findings; and are debriefed to draw out the learning points
  • A short quiz on each topic
  • Demonstrations, examples, and illustrations from the tutor’s experience
  • Discussions and feedback to make full use of the knowledge and experience of participants.

Supported by the acclaimed textbook Discovering Requirements, course time is devoted to practical exploration of the chosen techniques. Participants get the maximum of direct experience and understanding of each technique from the team exercises and discussion. Meanwhile, detailed explanations and guidance on all the techniques are to hand in the textbook, for each participant to keep after the course.

The expert trainer

To be announced.

Course outline

DAY ONE
Introduction
  • Context
  • An inquiry cycle
  • Course structure: Requirements Elements (1-10) x Discovery Contexts (A-D)
1 Vision
  • A clear mission
2 Stakeholders
  • Typical roles
  • The onion model
3 Goals
  • Modelling goals and obstacles
  • Goal conflicts
A From Individuals (interviewing)

4 Context
  • Rich pictures
  • System v product scope
A From Individuals (observation)

5 Scenarios
  • Role/action list
  • Scenario patterns
  • Use cases
B From Groups (workshops)

DAY TWO
6 Qualities and constraints
  • Different types
  • Effect on project
C From Things (analogy)

7 Rationale
  • Underlying reasons
  • Assumptions
  • Ways to document
8 Definitions
  • Ambiguity
  • Roles
  • Data
  • Designations
9 Measurements
  • Verification method
  • Acceptance criteria
D From Trade-Offs

10 Priorities
  • Input (stakeholder) priority
  • Output (project) priority
Putting it all together
  • Process tailoring