Writing requirements is one of the core competencies for anyone in an organization responsible for defining future Information Technology (IT) applications. However, nearly every independently executed, root-cause analysis of IT project problems and failures in the past half-century have identified "misunderstood or incomplete requirements" as the primary cause. This has made writing requirements the bane of many projects. The real problem is the subtle differences between "understanding" someone else's requirement and "sharing a common understanding" with the author.

"How to Write...

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a phenomenal tool for visualizing and analyzing dependencies and interactions amongst manual and automated business processes.
In today's wired world, software applications often take center stage in optimizing workflow and increasing productivity. Unfortunately, the process of delivering the right software to the right people at the right time is challenging to say the least.

DFDs are powerful tools for recognizing and eliminating two of the major problems that haunt IT projects, namely Scope Creep and Project Overruns caused by late project change...