The Requirements Network has an excellent article out on the necessity of well-developed requirements for any project. The author likens requirements gathering today to the popular 90s sitcom, “Seinfeld,” writing:

In a nutshell, we approach requirements the same way we approach any other communication or conversation. When you think about it, most communications and conversations are one-sided and egocentric. Seinfeld was an excellent example of multiple people carrying on conversations in the same room without either listening or being heard. Translate this into requirements gathering and you get ambiguity, miscommunication and missed requirements.

She goes on to recommend that requirements gathering adhere to the SMART philosophy, meaning that requirements must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Repeatable and Timed in order to succeed. She argues that there wouldn’t be such a dismal IT project failure rate if organizations adhered to this formula. Do you agree?