Business Requirements

[Jim Barrow]

Thanks, Mary.

The situation is convoluted.  A consulting firm came in over a year ago to develop the business and functional requirements for the A2 system.  I don't know if there was a gas leak at the time, but the documents that I read were of little value.  The "requirements" that the firm listed were not requirements at all and I was able to reduce the list of 680 down to 120.  For political reasons, that list was thrown out and another firm was hired to start at square one (the developers are supposed to start working on 6/1).

There are three items that I can clarify.

First, I'm not a gun-slinger who decided that these requirements (for both the legacy app and A2) needed to be written.  I was given that assignment.  

Second, the legacy app documentation is mostly for the stakeholders so that heads *don't* roll if they ask to see the current documentation.  The emphasis was on generating this first.

Third - and I say this with respect - John was incorrect when he said that I had been shot down once before regarding this.  That incident/post referred to a completely different project.  And again, I'm not playing Cowboy Bob shooting my way into board rooms trying to sell my agenda.  My manager tells me what he'd like and I do it.

From: Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti at yahoo.com>

I think it's fine & actually your responsibility to raise the issue if the lack of bus reqs adversely affects your job or your ability to produce documentation. Not sure if that's the case here. As I understand it - you're not even working on the legacy app. If you think there is a need for documentation for that product & anticipate problems if your org doesn't include docs - then I'd recommend bringing that to everyone's attention. But if you're not working on the product & not protesting that - then pushing for bus reqs may seem a bit presumptuous.