When buying anything, most people want to know exactly what their money is going to get them, so why would a web or software application be any different? As mentioned in a previous post, there are a lot of things to look for in a web or software development team, including whether or not they provide any requirements documents, which really is the scope of the project. The requirements illicite what you can expect to receive upon project completion and what the developer is to deliver. If you run into a developer or firm that does not define the requirements, run for the hills because it usually turns into a messy situation.
Why requirements gathering is so important?
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First and foremost, you want to make sure that everything you need and want is included in the agreed upon price. If these requirements are not gathered and approved, it really turns into your word versus the developers.
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The requirements also hold the developer accountable to the deliverables.
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During the requirements gathering process, new ideas are stumbled upon and you might change your initial vision. This process promotes a great understanding of your application and your goals.
The requirements gathering process involves defining the following:
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Functional Requirements - These requirements determine how the application will actually work. They are typically broken down section by section to the most basic functionality including which fields are mandatory and how many characters are allowed per field.
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Non-Functional Requirements - Included in this section are requirements that are not essential to the function of the site, but still need to be taken into consideration to meet the needs of the Client.
Although the requirement gathering process can be time consuming, it is absolutely imperative for a few reasons:
1. You
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