Most endeavors begin with a need which is then elaborated and actualized. At a fundamental level, projects are devised to satisfy needs. The APM definition of requirements management talks about capturing stakeholder needs as well as assessing and justifying them; however, very little is normally said about needs and their identification and management. Determining needs is never simple: It involves analysts intimately collaborating with users, clients and stakeholders. One of the crucial skills for analysts involved in needs analysis is the ability to distinguish between needs and wants.
A need is said to emerge from an unfulfilled desire, or an idea for improvement for some part of a system. Needs imply a desire to solve a problem, improve the status quo, meet a business objective, satisfy a legal stipulation or correct a deficiency in current arrangements. This can be done through the provision of new functionality, delivery of new assets or acquisition of new performance capabilities. At its most basic level, a need can be viewed as a gap between current results, and desired results and consequences.
A key point is to express it as a gap that may pertain to a problem (and hence a noun) and not in terms of a potential solution.
Wants typically relate to the wishes of an individual or a stakeholder group and their expectations related to a system or project. While needs relate to the absolute essentials that one has to have, wants are not absolutely necessary as they represent the things that one would like to have. Wants extend beyond needs to reveal the additional wishes and expectations of users and stakeholders. It is worth pointing out that wants can be unlimited; when one want is satisfied, another often arises as expectations are raised.
Wants are also context dependent and may vary in time depending on situational contingencies.
Given that there will inevitably be multiple needs and wants, and that the resources and projects available to implement these are limited, it is important to determine the essential nature of what is required and why it is required, as well as who requires it.
The main purpose is to establish beyond doubt that there is a recognized need that will require supporting and addressing. The discussion of solutions is deferred to later stages, so needs analysis is always done independently from pre-conceived resolution options as by definition it relates to the actual needs.
Understanding the needs of users and stakeholders is an essential precursor to determining their requirements. Before requirements can be elicited and developed, it is essential to have a well-defined problem where the needs, or gaps, are clearly understood.
Stating problems in a clear and unambiguous manner is a crucial art that enables the right problem to be solved. Focusing on problems, rather than solutions allows the measurement of the utility of a given solution against the original needs to determine the degree of satisfaction achieved.
Stakeholders may be stimulated by shortcomings in current capability or systems, or be inspired by the performance of new technology in other areas, which can make new systems and projects possible. It is crucial to understand each need, its origin and its implications before proceeding with a project. Indeed, Frame (2003) asserts that the emergence of needs sets off the whole project process. New capabilities must first be recognized by stakeholders so that they can be evaluated in context. The essential context is defined by the scope of the project, however, needs analysis may point to areas and facets not included in the scope and may help to form a better picture of the essential issues that need to be considered, occasionally forcing a re-consideration of the scope or real dimensions of change. Indeed, many change projects would benefit from extending their scope to consider external business events that relate to the core function of proposed projects. In other words, the boundary drawn around an environment or context can be crucial to how change is viewed and what is deemed possible.
Needs evolve from a vague idea or concept, to some thing tangible that ultimately underpins and directs entire endeavors and projects, yet they also lead to the emergence of constraints and limitations. They are assessed prior to the consideration of any solution to allow the exploration to lead to real requirements and avoid premature selection of or influence by a predetermined solution. Frame (2003) identifies three main stages related to the development of needs: emergence, recognition and articulation (Figure 9.1).
141 r e q u i r e m e n t s M a n a g e m e n t
• Needs Emergence: Needs are dynamic, altering with time. They arise and materialize out of change. The availability of technology, the growth in social participation, global markets and the accelerating rate of change incite new needs, whilst altering existing ones. New needs and expectations can appear inside the organization or be stimulated by external changes introduced by competitors, or be induced by changes in the external environments.
• Needs Recognition: Systematic identification of needs requires regular return visits to the needs and expectations of an organization, its stakeholders and its customers to assess their current needs against the previously recognized set. Attention to anticipated needs in the marketplace can help in planning future initiatives and projects.
• Needs Articulation: The meaning and implications of needs are important. Articulation implies an in-depth study of a need. The attempt to describe the essence of a need requires a deeper understanding of the roots of a need, its fine details and true meaning and the implications that it may have. Developing and recording that understanding paves the way to developing the requirements. Once a need is truly understood and carefully articulated, it forms the basis for requirements elicitation as stipulating what needs to be done to meet it, becomes significantly simpler.
Needs analysis is focused on stakeholders and their goals, aspirations and needs with regard to any improvements. Needs analysis requires the identification of users and stakeholders, the articulation of their goals and the identification, recognition and articulation of needs and gaps. The techniques applied draw upon stakeholder engagement and management emphasizing stakeholder identification and stakeholder mapping, whilst particularly focusing on identifying interests and charting influences that play a key part in determining expectations of different stakeholder groups. As was proposed above, systems methods that explore the boundaries of systems and the relevant context are also essential in identifying and exploring issues and positioning projects to address the key aspects required to deliver the change pointed to through the articulated needs.
Enterprise modeling methods and business analysis techniques can also play a part in analyzing the as-is enterprise and in determining limitations and identifying deficiencies with respect to the recorded needs. The work completed during needs analysis serves as the preparation for determining, developing and specifying the requirements.
Figure 9.1 project needs life-cycle