Life Begins at Requirements (not at 40)

"Few people have the same notion of what requirements are and where they fit into the big picture" writes Richard M. Marshall, in Life Begins at Requirements (an article for FTP Online in October 2003).

He goes on to say:

"Most people agree that an application's life begins with its requirements. Requirements tell the developer what the end user wants the app to do. But that's about all folks will agree on. Beyond the high-level objective of defining an application's purpose, few people have the same notion of what requirements are and where they fit into the big picture."

And further on: "As with many things in IT, and despite what some gurus might say, there is no "right" form of requirements. The correct form for requirements will vary from project to project. You can use two simple criteria, however, that will tell you if a set of requirements is right for a given project."

And even later: "So what comes first: the requirements, or a notion of an implemented system? Neither, actually. A business need comes first — a source of irritation, an opportunity, a way to do things more efficiently. Doesn't really matter, but it is important to realize that any app worth building must meet a need."

So, go and read his short article to get the entire message!