DSS Services for Developers
Clarification of Your Client's Requirements
The lack of a clear definition of requirements guarantees for both parties budget overruns, project delays, highly-stressed staff, and — at best — the creation of a mediocre product.
As the developer, no doubt you know that the better you understand your client's requirements, the better the quality of the product you can deliver.
A clear definition of requirements is the most critical step in the development of any software product -- and yet it is also the step that both clients and developers seldom execute thoroughly.
Why? Because small business clients rarely have the expertise in-house to effectively communicate their requirements to developers and because few developers have the expertise in-house to extract the essential details from their clients.
Regardless of who done what, though, the fact is that the lack of a clear definition of requirements guarantees for both parties budget overruns, project delays, highly-stressed staff, and — at best — the creation of a mediocre product.
A clear definition of requirements is the most critical step in the development of any software product -- and yet it is also the step that both clients and developers seldom execute thoroughly.
Why? Because small business clients rarely have the expertise in-house to effectively communicate their requirements to developers and because few developers have the expertise in-house to extract the essential details from their clients.
Regardless of who done what, though, the fact is that the lack of a clear definition of requirements guarantees for both parties budget overruns, project delays, highly-stressed staff, and — at best — the creation of a mediocre product.
The Developer's Predicament
During my 30 years of development experience, 15 of those in the developer's seat, I came to the conclusion that in a perfect world the responsibility for defining and communicating requirements would fall squarely on the shoulders of the client.
However, since small business clients seldom have the resources to do this responsibility justice, they often become overwhelmed with the complexity of the task at hand. In some cases, this unanticipated burden is enough to force the client to head for the hills and abandon the project altogether.
So where does that leave you, the Developer? Pretty much between a rock and a hard place, I'd say. Do you go ahead and start development without adequate requirements, crossing your fingers you can second-guess their needs? Or do you pray that your tech team can somehow pull out of the client the vital information it needs to create a quality solution?
What I advise you to do is neither — rely instead on Development Support Services. I am highly skilled at extracting from clients the information needed to develop any web or database solution - simple or complex.
How DSS Can Help
A picture is worth far more than a thousand words when it comes to communicating technical specs.
Working either as a subcontractor to you, the Developer, or directly for your client, I communicate system requirements in a succinct, straight-forward manner that both parties can understand.
I've found that flowcharts and other diagramming tools are the most time-efficient and cost-effective communication method for this purpose. The truth is that a picture is worth far more than a thousand words when it comes to communicating technical specs.
It's worth noting, too, that if English is not your team's native language, graphical representation of requirements is all the more effective. Critical technical details communicated verbally often get lost in translation, so DSS goes to great lengths to surmount language barriers with its diagram-centric process.
Working either as a subcontractor to you, the Developer, or directly for your client, I communicate system requirements in a succinct, straight-forward manner that both parties can understand.
I've found that flowcharts and other diagramming tools are the most time-efficient and cost-effective communication method for this purpose. The truth is that a picture is worth far more than a thousand words when it comes to communicating technical specs.
It's worth noting, too, that if English is not your team's native language, graphical representation of requirements is all the more effective. Critical technical details communicated verbally often get lost in translation, so DSS goes to great lengths to surmount language barriers with its diagram-centric process.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that no matter how simple or how complex your client's needs, flowcharts like the samples below quickly, clearly, and effectively communicate what your tech team needs to know.
It would be my pleasure to assist you and/or your client in this critical phase of your development project. Please see sample requirements documents below and contact me to discuss your project.
Monitoring of Changes Quality Assurance Services Documentation
A Flowchart Defining
Site Pages & User Navigation
A Process & Navigation Flowchart
For a Complex, Database-Driven Website
