Project Management - I Want It ALL

The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything as a must-have . "I need everything before the product becomes generally available. I want it ALL!" Give me a break.

Granted, if a requirement is written in the SRS, then it must be because you want it. But the reality is some features are more important than others and a good product manager can tell them apart.

If everything is high priority, then there are no priorities. Let me repeat that statement once more. If everything is high priority, then there are no priorities.

Unless this is your very first software project, you know that time is always a constraint. Combine an overly optimistic project schedule with a list of requirements that aren't prioritized, and what do you get? A team of developers that implement what they want, when they want.

You have a choice. You can (a) leave it up to the development team to pick and choose their favorite features to implement, or (b) give them a clear sense of direction by prioritizing the requirements. Have them start with the must-haves, followed by the nice-to-haves. When the project deadline comes up, you can decide to extend the project schedule to add a few more nice-to-haves, but you won't be forced to because your product will already include all of the must-have requirements that would make or break your sales. In other words, you're managing the schedule instead of letting the schedule manage you.

Wondering how to best prioritize requirements? Check out First Things First in The Project Mangler's archives.

Luc Richard is professional speaker and author with over 10 years of experience managing the development of software applications. He can be reached via The Project Mangler (http://www.projectmangler.com).

---

Organisation Tips For The Mobile Executive

Despite the fact that everyone sighs "How glamorous!", the life... Read More

Knowledge Management: More Than Just Know-how!

People sometimes interchange the terms "know-how" and "knowledge", but there's... Read More

PR Still a Mystery to Some

Unfortunately, there are managers who define public relations by its... Read More

Optimizing Your Cash Flow With Proper Accounts Receivable Management

Businesses miss on growth opportunities and even close their doors... Read More

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into... Read More

Muggers in Our Midst - When Rumour and Gossip Pay You a Visit

'I heard it on the grapevine' the old song goes.... Read More

ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success

You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More

Think Twice Before Selling ROI

When we're selling to business people, our value proposition has... Read More

Crisis Management Essentials - How to Communicate Effectively During a Crisis, Emergency or Disaster

A crisis, emergency or disaster can happen at anytime and... Read More

Are Your Meetings Smart?

Soon after I finished a brief seminar on how to... Read More

Why Your Business Needs an E-Mail Policy

Why is it imperative to have a company E-Mail Policy?... Read More

Hiring Great People And How to Be One Yourself: Five Secrets

Bad news.Your senior vice-president, your marketing director or your accounting... Read More

Management Training: Are You Satisfied With The Results?

If you're not satfied with the results of your management... Read More

Shrinkage Control

What has been your store's shrinkage experience for the last... Read More

Knowledge Management - Leadership Behaviours Which Encourage Knowledge-Sharing

The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual... Read More

Are You Cascading Your Strategy, or Fragmenting It?

INTRODUCTIONThe typical approach executive teams use to cascade, or roll... Read More

Resistance - How to Handle It

Do you ever meet with resistance from other people -... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure the Right Things.

Measure the right things. It's not enough just to measure-you... Read More

Check Your Communication Skills

Use this check list to assess your communication skills.Focus* Do... Read More

Listening Strategically

Usually, we're most interested in communicating outwardly; getting our messages... Read More

The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs

You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA)... Read More

Manage Communication to Add Value

Management guru Tom Peters says white collar workers and managers... Read More

Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda?

It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More

Designing Your Healthy Administration - A Management Overview

Management or Leadership?Simply stated, management ensures that things get done,... Read More

Todays Employees and Their New Needs: What You Need to Know

Today's employees are not only interested in security or in... Read More

The DNA of Motivation

It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More

Which ITIL Process Should We Implement First?

The following question is usually debated a lot amongst IT... Read More

Five Reasons Why Leaders Fail to Create Successful Change

A bold title, don't you think? I mean, change is... Read More

6 Simple Steps to Dealing with Difficult Managers

The challenge of managing difficult managers can be rather daunting,... Read More

How to Coach Your Emplyees and Increase Motivation

It is easy to spot the difference between a work... Read More

Overcoming Resistance

Virtually any type of organizational change involves role transitions of... Read More

Commercial Collections Billing Practices Advice

Swiftness is the key to collecting past due commercial accounts... Read More

One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple I know what... Read More