Project
Management Scope
Requirements Management Plan
Accountable
for
project management scope for an information management project and want
some practical suggestions to ensure rapid project delivery?
A requirements management plan describes how requirements will be
managed throughout a project lifecycle. It ensures that the project
schedule and budget are not compromised by unauthorized requirement
changes and, it ensures that all requirements are delivered as planned.
Why is this
important?
This
is vital—Imagine you are having a new house built—As it is being
constructed, you see how nice it would be to have the master bedroom
face east so it can get the morning sun, instead of west as planned.
Now
think of the impact—Well, it’s obvious that there
would be a big impact.
Now
think of the smaller things—A carpenter decides to install an extra
cabinet because it will look nice, a plumber decides that an extra sink
will look good in the master bathroom, and an electrician forgets to
install a security light at the back door.
Each of these items can add time
and cost
to the house and you will eventually have to pay.
The
same thing can happen with an information management project.
Requirements
may be defined and approved at the beginning of the project but if they
are not managed carefully, changes may be introduced that will cause
delays and additional costs.
Project management scope and a requirements management plan are
designed to prevent this.
What is
included in a requirements management plan?
The following are normally included is a good plan:
- Resource
plan,
identifies roles and responsibilities and any other resources required
for requirement management;
- Requirements
gathering, describes the approach that will be used to
collect all requirements and identifies key participants;
- Baseline
process
describes the process that will be followed to ensure that requirements
are reviewed, approved and base-lined. (After a requirement is
base-lined, it should not be changed without a formal change request);
- Configuration
management,
specifies the unique numbering scheme or naming convention that will be
used to ensure that each requirement is uniquely identified;
- Change
management, specifies the process required to request, and
approve, requirement changes;
- Communications
plan,
specifies what mechanisms will be used to communicate changes in
requirements or other issues such as missing requirements traceability;
and
- Satisfaction
of requirements
(requirements traceability matrix) specifies the process required to
ensure that all requirements are
addressed during architecture and design, build and test, and that no
additional requirements were added.
This also
should identify the process for specifying requirements
acceptance criteria and the process that will ensure that
acceptance criteria have been met.
How does
a project management scope plan help deliver project faster?
The
document defines the plan that must be followed. It provides clear
direction to all team members and eliminates project time loss e.g. if
the technical team thinks a requirement was missed, the plan clearly
states:
- If it’s not a requirement, don’t build it; and
- If is should be a requirement, follow the
change request process, and only build it if approved.
Summary...
A
project management scope and a requirements management plan describe
how requirements will be managed
throughout a project lifecycle. It ensures that the project schedule
and budget are not compromised by unauthorized requirement changes and,
it ensures that all requirements are delivered as planned.
A well-managed plan will minimize time delays and additional project
costs.
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