Requirement Instability: Causes, Symptoms, and Cures 
Dan Tucker
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton

Introduction:

There has been much empirical and anecdotal material published that speaks towards how defects injected in the requirements phase of the lifecycle are more expensive to correct, and that requirement volatility is correlated to defect density. However, most organizations still have trouble identifying when they are facing these issues, as well as how they should be addressed. Additionally, an increasing number of organizations are moving away from the traditional waterfall development lifecycle, which even further complicates the requirement volatility model. This presentation will present data from real software development projects, in a variety of development environments, to clarify how requirement volatility is identified, when it is reaching a critical juncture, as well as measures for prevention.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees of the presentation will walk away with ideas of how to implement a requirement volatility data model in their own organization, how to identify when projects are facing requirement stabilization risks, the impact of such risks should they be realized, and mitigation approaches.

Outline:

• Requirement Instability
  • Simple Qualitative and Quantitative Definitions of Volatility
  • Early Symptoms and Warning Signs
    • Perspectives from RM Manager
    • Perspectives from Project Manager
    • Perspectives from Other Engineering Disciplines
  • Downstream Impacts (including data from a variety of projects)
    • Defect Density
    • Project Management Measures (CPI/SPI)
    • Testing Measures (Defect Escape Rate, Test Coverage)
• Detailed Approaches towards Measuring Requirement Volatility
  • Waterfall Lifecycle
  • Spiral/Iterative Lifecycles
  • Agile Development
  • Use of Tools to Assist in Measurement Process
• Cures for Requirement Stability
  • Early Identification
  • Quantitatively Based Thresholds
  • Governance Models and Best Practice Implementation
  • Cultural Changes (Internal)
  • Cultural Changes (Customer)
• Summary

Biography:

Mr. Tucker is an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, with over 13 years of experience in software development and process improvement. His current role in Booz Allen's Process Improvement Organization focuses on quantitative measurement and analysis, where he is responsible for maintaining the organization's measurement program, and assisting projects with implementation of processes related to quantitative analysis. Mr. Tucker has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics.