1. Best Practices in
Developing Requirements for
SharePoint Projects
Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
July 28, 2010
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM(PT)

2. What Does This Mean?
8 5 4 9 1 7 6 3 2 0
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

3. What Does This Mean?
SharePoint
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

4. Presentation Objectives
 In this presentation, you will learn the best practices in
developing requirements for SharePoint projects
 In addition, you will be able to identify:
 Why having a well defined business case is necessary to
effectively initiate requirements gathering
 The key components of requirements gathering process
 Why requirements traceability is paramount in defining
ROI in SharePoint projects
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

5. Facilitator: Dux Raymond Sy, PMP
 Managing Partner, Innovative-e, Inc.
 Author, “SharePoint for Project
Management” by O’Reilly Media
 For more information, connect with Dux
 E-Mail: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
 Twitter: twitter.com/meetdux
 LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li
 Blog: meetdux.com
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

6. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

7. Why are Requirements So Difficult?
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8. What is a Requirement?
 A requirement is something wanted or needed
 Formally documented and written statements
 Capabilities needed to solve a problem
 Conditions of a delivered system, services, product, or process
 Constraints on the system, service, product, or process
 Requirements are not
 Verbal, informal statements or conversations in the hallways
 Solutions that state how to solve the problem or meet the objectives
 Characteristics of other systems, services, products, or processes
 Project budgets, plans, or implementation details
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9. What’s So Special About SharePoint?
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10. Requirements Focus
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11. Example: Defining Business Need is a MUST
 In a recent study, information workers today spend 45
mins/day searching for information
 In a team of 20 people, that’s 900 mins/day
 In 3 months, that’s 54000 mins or about 37 person days
 How much does this cost in time & money?
 What if search productivity can be increased by 15%?
 That’s gaining 7 mins back from the 45 mins lost
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

12. Example: Defining SharePoint Requirements
 Business requirements
 SharePoint shall increase user productivity by 15 percent
 User requirements
 The user shall be able to retrieve search results within five
seconds of submitting a search request that can support
a maximum of 10,000 simultaneous search requests
 System requirements
 SharePoint server shall have two web front ends and a
dedicated SQL Server which has at least dual processors
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

13. Key Components
1. Requirements Elicitation
2. Analyzing Requirements
3. V alidating Requirements
4. Documenting Requirements
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

14. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

15. What is Requirements Elicitation?
 Elicitation: gathering and understanding what
stakeholders and users need
 Done at both an organizational (business) and a more detailed
user level
 Elicitation is a human-based activity
 Determine requirements sources
 Decide how to gather information
 Involves research, educating, talking, and observing
 Business-level context and framework
 How the end users do their jobs
 What would help them do their jobs better
 Within the scope of our system, product, or process
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

16. Elicitation Process
1. What do I need to know?
2. Where do I get this information?
3. Get the information
4. Organize what you know
5. Do I have enough information?
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17. Goal is to Build a SharePoint Solution
 How would you like to drive a Lamborghini Diablo?
 BTW, you just learned how to ride a bike yesterday
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18. Don’t Call The Solution SharePoint!
 Generic Solutions
 Corporate Intranet
 Content Management
 Specific Solutions
 Employee Onboarding System for Human Resources
 Conference Room Scheduling System for Facilities
 Project Management Information System for PMs
 System Integration
 Custom Application Development
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

19. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

20. What is Requirements Analysis?
 Requirements analysis takes elicited information and
makes sense of it
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21. Analysis Process
1. Profile Users
2. Model stated requirements
3. Gap analysis
4. Identify the real requirements
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22. Example: Process Flow Diagram
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23. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

24. What is Requirements Validation?
 Requirements validation allows the user(s) to confirm and
prioritize the real requirements
 Essential to identify what it will take to deploy SharePoint
 Resources
 Time
 Skillsets
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

25. Keep Priorities In Order
 You can’t do it all!
 What business need should you solve first?
 What are common features that can be deployed?
 Project scope must be limited and specific
 What’s important? Time? Budget? Functionality?
 Tip: Involve decision makers in planning and prioritization
 Read “How to Prioritize Business Needs When
Implementing SharePoint” http://go.meetdux.com/sbyv
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

26. Example: SharePoint Assessment Schedule
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27. Example: Prioritizing SharePoint Features
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28. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

29. Generate a Requirements Document
 Formally communicates
 Overall quantitative and qualitative characteristics
 Functionality of the desired end result or outcome
 Should include
 Requirement Statements
 Process Diagrams
 Traceability Matrix
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

30. What Makes a Great Requirement?
Content + Structure = Readability
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31. Writing Requirement Statements
 <Subject> shall be able to <capability> within <criterion>
 <Subject> shall be able to <capability>
 Where criterion is assumed to be 100 percent of the
stated capability
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

32. Example: Defining SharePoint Requirements
 Business requirements
 SharePoint shall increase user productivity by 15 percent
 User requirements
 The user shall be able to retrieve search results within five
seconds of submitting a search request that can support
a maximum of 10,000 simultaneous search requests
 System requirements
 SharePoint server shall have two web front ends and a
dedicated SQL Server which has at least dual processors
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

33. Example: Requirements Document
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

34. Agenda
 What are Requirements?
 Eliciting is Not the Same as Gathering
 Analysis Doesn’t Lead to Paralysis
 Too Legit to Quit?
 Put it on Paper
 Q&A
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

35. Questions?
E-Mail: dux.sy@innovative-e.com
LinkedIn: meetdux.com/li
Blog: meetdux.com
Twitter: twitter.com/meetdux
How did you like the presentation?
http://meetdux.com/feedback
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

36. Summary
 You have learned the best practices in developing
requirements for SharePoint projects
 In addition, you are able to identify:
 Why having a well defined business case is necessary to
effectively initiate requirements gathering
 The key components of requirements gathering process
 Why requirements traceability is paramount in defining
ROI in SharePoint projects
Twitter: @meetdux Hashtag: #req4sp

37. Thank You!