The Most Commonly Overlooked Requirements In Software Projects

The need for a new software project has landed in your lap and it is up to you to work with your stakeholders to develop the requirements. When you have done this before the satisfaction of getting it right the first time has always eluded you. This has resulted in delays and reworks that cost your company money and time.

As you begin your list of requirements for this new project, just what is it that gets overlooked in software development most of the time?

A small mistake that leads to the loss of functionality can be quickly spotted and corrected. Architecturally significant and non-functional requirements that are overlooked can be devastating especially when such a mistake is not uncovered until the latter stages of development.

Why are various elements ignored? Business owners, understandably, tend to focus on the big picture: how is this new software going to help grow the company, boost efficiency, or give customers a better experience?

Requirements Overlooked

Study after study has shown that the better your initial requirements gathering is, the fewer errors and omissions your finished software will have. Anywhere between forty to sixty percent of mistakes in the finished products are due to faulty initial requirements and forgotten or overlooked requirements.

The original design requirements must be based on what the customer really needs and concerning each stakeholder’s unique line of business. The look, feel, and functionality of the finished product must be laid out in the initial gathering of the software requirements. However what often happens is that a strong focus is placed on one aspect of the project while other aspects are forgotten.

We know how important initial requirements are to the success of the project. So how do you know you are covering the right things while not sacrificing anything else? For example, make sure the team is not overlooking the security aspects of software design to focus on functionality, or not ignore mobile friendly aspects while making sure that your design is the sharpest one in the field.

To develop great software that functions without hiccups. However, it is vital to attend to the small details by drafting thoroughly detailed software requirements: a responsibility shared by business leaders and developers alike.

Functional software requirements i.e. the reasons the project was conceived in the first place are rarely overlooked. The requirements that are sometimes overlooked are the unseen architectural aspects of development. They include:

 

• • • • Interoperability: The capacity of the system to work in conjunction with other systems without creating hiccups or requiring manual interference on the part of users.

 

• • • • User experience: The Typically emphasis is put on the design and the functions of the application and user experience and ease of use is generally an afterthought. Often, it only comes to the forefront during user testing or very late in the development process. By that time damage is already done.

 

• • • • One size doesn’t all: Given the fact, that today’s applications are consumed by devices of different shape, size and capacity, it is very important to evaluate application behaviour and interaction on different devices.

 

• • • • Performance: The system’s overall capabilities, speed, and ability to handle heavy workloads.

 

• • • • Portability: The System’s ability to function in different environments. (i.e. with other operating systems.)

 

• • • • Reliability: The assurance that the system will work error-free for significant amounts of time.

 

• • • • Robustness: The ability of a system to cope with and overcome the inevitable operating errors that will occur.

 

• • • • Safety: Particularly in system-critical systems, a software malfunction can sometimes create real physical dangers, and such failures necessitate safety measures that go above and beyond the typical robustness requirements of the ordinary software.

 

• • • Security: The ability to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access by low-level users and/or outside invaders.

When necessary architectural requirements are overlooked either at the expense of cost efficiency or rapid project completion or lack of technical expertise, these fundamental components of software functionality can break down in unexpected ways and fixing them after the fact is far more costly and time-consuming than simply getting them right in the first place. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Pegasus One Can Help You Develop World Class Software Solutions.
Whether you are looking to outsource the entire process of software development, or only hoping for a guiding hand along the way, Pegasus One can help. Our diverse range of services includes roadmap development, quality assurance, database optimization, and much more. We also offer customizable software solutions for CRM, logistics and supply chain, and other essential enterprise resources. Visit us online today to learn more about our services, and don’t hesitate to contact Pegasus One today if you have any questions. Together we can build software for a successful future!