Requirements and Scope

🎯 Scope Management: Requirements and Scope

The Story of Building Your Dream Treehouse

Imagine you want to build the coolest treehouse ever. But wait! Before you grab a hammer, you need to know exactly what everyone wants. Does your little sister want a slide? Does your brother want a secret door? Does Mom want it to be safe?

That’s what Scope Management is all about! It’s like making a super-detailed wish list and blueprint before building anything.

🧩 What Is Scope Management?

Think of Scope as the boundary line around your project.

Inside the line = What we WILL build Outside the line = What we WON’T build

If you don’t draw this line clearly, people keep adding things:

• “Add a pool!”
• “Add a roller coaster!”
• “Add a helicopter pad!”

Suddenly, your treehouse project becomes impossible! 😱

Scope Management helps you:

1. Find out what people really need
2. Write it down so nobody forgets
3. Track every requirement
4. Define exactly what you’re building

📋 The Collect Requirements Process

What Is It?

Collecting requirements is like being a detective. You ask questions, listen carefully, and write down what everyone needs.

The Simple Version

Ask → Listen → Write → Confirm

Real-World Example

Project: Build a Mobile App for Pizza Ordering

How Do You Collect Requirements?

Method 1: Interviews 🎤

• Sit down with people one-on-one
• Ask open questions like “What problems do you face?”
• Example: “What’s the hardest part about ordering pizza now?”

Method 2: Focus Groups 👥

• Bring 6-10 people together
• Let them discuss and build on each other’s ideas
• Example: Pizza lovers sharing what they love/hate about apps

Method 3: Questionnaires 📝

• Send questions to many people
• Great for getting lots of opinions
• Example: Survey asking “Rate these features 1-5”

Method 4: Observation 👀

• Watch people do their work
• See problems they don’t even mention
• Example: Watch how cashiers handle phone orders

Method 5: Prototypes 🎨

• Build a simple mockup
• Let people click around and give feedback
• Example: Paper sketch of the app screens

graph TD
    A["Start: Need Requirements"] --> B["Choose Method"]
    B --> C["Interviews"]
    B --> D["Focus Groups"]
    B --> E["Questionnaires"]
    B --> F["Observation"]
    B --> G["Prototypes"]
    C --> H["Document Findings"]
    D --> H
    E --> H
    F --> H
    G --> H
    H --> I["Confirm with Stakeholders"]
    I --> J["Requirements Complete!"]

Pro Tip 💡

Never assume you know what people want. ASK THEM! Even silly questions lead to important discoveries.

📄 Requirements Documentation

What Is It?

After collecting requirements, you need to write them down properly. This document becomes your “source of truth.”

Think of It Like a Recipe Book

Just like a recipe tells you exactly what ingredients you need and how to use them, Requirements Documentation tells your team exactly what to build.

What Goes Inside?

Example: Functional vs Non-Functional

Functional (What it DOES):

• User can add toppings to pizza
• User can see order history
• User can pay with credit card

Non-Functional (How it PERFORMS):

• App works on iOS and Android
• System handles 1000 orders per hour
• Data is encrypted for security

The Golden Rule 🏆

If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.

Everyone’s memory is different. Writing things down prevents arguments later!

📊 Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)

What Is It?

The RTM is like a GPS tracker for requirements. It shows where each requirement came from and where it ends up.

Why Do We Need It?

Imagine building that treehouse:

• Your sister wanted a slide
• But the builder forgot about it
• Now she’s crying! 😢

The RTM prevents this by tracking every single requirement from start to finish.

Simple Example

What Each Column Means

graph LR
    A["Requirement ID"] --> B["Unique number like R001"]
    C["Source"] --> D["Where did this come from?"]
    E["Design"] --> F["Which design includes this?"]
    G["Code"] --> H["Which code file builds this?"]
    I["Test"] --> J["Which test checks this?"]

The Power of Traceability

Forward Tracing ➡️

• Start with requirement
• Follow it to design, code, and testing
• “Did we build what was asked?”

Backward Tracing ⬅️

• Start with a feature in the product
• Trace back to original requirement
• “Why did we build this?”

Real Benefit

When the boss asks: “Why did we add this expensive GPS feature?”

You show the RTM: “See? The delivery drivers requested it in their interview on March 5th. Here’s the link to the meeting notes.”

No more blame games! 🎉

🎯 Define Scope Process

What Is It?

This is where you take all those requirements and create a crystal-clear description of what you’re building.

The Treehouse Analogy

Before Define Scope: “Build a cool treehouse”

After Define Scope: “Build a 6x8 foot wooden treehouse, 10 feet high, with one ladder entrance, two windows, a rope swing, and a small balcony. Painted green. No electricity. Must support 4 children.”

See the difference? Now everyone knows EXACTLY what to build!

How to Define Scope

Step 1: Look at all your requirements Step 2: Decide what’s IN and what’s OUT Step 3: Write a detailed description Step 4: Get everyone to agree

graph TD
    A["All Requirements"] --> B{Can we do it?}
    B -->|Yes| C["IN Scope"]
    B -->|No| D["OUT of Scope"]
    C --> E["Write Description"]
    D --> F["Document for Later"]
    E --> G["Get Approval"]
    G --> H["Scope Defined!"]

Expert Judgment

Sometimes you need smart people to help decide:

• Is this technically possible?
• Do we have enough time?
• Do we have enough money?

These experts help you make good decisions about what’s IN and OUT.

Product Analysis

For products (like software), you might:

• Study similar products
• Break down features
• Analyze what makes them successful

📜 Project Scope Statement

What Is It?

The Project Scope Statement is the official document that describes your project scope. It’s like the constitution of your project.

What’s Inside?

Example Scope Statement Snippet

PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT
-----------------------
Project: PizzaQuick Mobile App

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
A mobile application allowing customers
to order pizza in under 2 minutes.

DELIVERABLES:
✓ iOS Application
✓ Android Application
✓ Restaurant Dashboard
✓ User Documentation

EXCLUSIONS:
✗ Website version
✗ Tablet-optimized version
✗ Loyalty rewards system (Phase 2)

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA:
• App loads in under 3 seconds
• Checkout in maximum 4 taps
• 99.9% uptime during peak hours

Why Exclusions Matter

Exclusions are just as important as inclusions!

Without exclusions, someone might say:

“I assumed we were building a website too!”

With clear exclusions:

“Nope! See? Website is listed as OUT of scope.”

Constraints vs Assumptions

Constraints = Things we KNOW limit us

• Budget is $50,000 (we know this for sure)
• Must launch before Christmas (fixed deadline)

Assumptions = Things we BELIEVE are true

• Users have internet (we assume this)
• Pizza shops are open 7 days (we assume this)

Warning: If assumptions are wrong, the project can fail!

🔗 How It All Connects

graph TD
    A["Collect Requirements"] --> B["Requirements Documentation"]
    B --> C["Requirements Traceability Matrix"]
    A --> D["Define Scope"]
    D --> E["Project Scope Statement"]
    B --> D
    C --> E
    E --> F["Everyone Knows What to Build!"]

The Beautiful Flow

1. Collect Requirements → Gather what people need
2. Document Requirements → Write everything down
3. Create RTM → Track each requirement
4. Define Scope → Decide what’s IN and OUT
5. Scope Statement → Make it official

🎓 Key Takeaways

Remember These Forever!

The Ultimate Lesson

Good scope management = Happy stakeholders + Successful project

When everyone knows exactly what’s being built, there are no surprises, no arguments, and no crying sisters missing their slides! 🎢

🚀 You’ve Got This!

Scope Management isn’t scary. It’s just about:

• Asking the right questions
• Writing things down clearly
• Tracking everything carefully
• Defining boundaries firmly

Now go manage that scope like a pro! 💪