Details, details, details; it is in the details. Details explain to the point so the “what” is not misconstrued. Explaining the details create the pain staking exercise of placing the future state of a project on paper before design starts. It is worth more effort than a theoretical paperweight, along with wasted time being grilled by a room of design/system personnel to uncover the “what.”
Details give the advantage of listing specifics to create a picture of a well-defined outcome. Specific details on a form include: name in the top right corner, account number left margin, indentation above the name, etc.. General statements in requirements only cause additional discussions during fact-finding sessions, which is something that can be avoided. For example, stating a requirement that says, “Demographic information must be collected and stored in a central location,” will incur discussions because a general statement is just that: a general statement and not a true requirement. Questions like, “What demographic, patient, vendors, doctor, associate, site location, sales region, third party are desired?” Drill down to specifics: first name, last name, middle name, phone, address (street, state, zip, and country), measurements (length, width, depth) and so on. Specifics provide a commodity savings (time!) for later use. Time is the one resource that once used cannot be regained.
Another example, heard most often from the young at heart, is “I want a car.” No specifics, just “I want a car!” Take the youngster to a junk yard and present the cars. The shock value will bring out the details of make, model, year, exterior/interior color, style, engine size and gas consumption. So plan, review, and craft the details or get ready to have numerous fact-finding sessions.
