Requirements Engineering and Management

The Fine Art of Telling Engineers What You Really Want

The Executive Challenge

When projects run into problems, the root cause can usually be traced back to requirements.  The reason for requirements is to inform the engineers what you want from the end product they design.  Unfortunately, when requirements are vague, unclear or incomplete, engineers tend to make assumptions and guesses, and the results are frequently "bugs." Fixing these bugs costs projects time and resources - resources that aren't focused on delivering business value.

At the same time, you can scarcely afford to delay a project for months - or - years - while you write thoroughly detailed requirements with pinpoint accuracy.  You need a way to cut through the requirements maze - to get excellent specifications without holding the project hostage in the interim.  And Dominion Digital has the ideal solution.

The Dominion Digital Difference

Dominion Digital takes a different approach to requirements.  To paraphrase George Orwell, we believe some requirements are more equal than others.  At the beginning of a project, we work with you to identify the "Top 10 Critical Criteria."  These are the things that the end product must do to be judged a success.  If it doesn't deliver all 10, the functions and features and cool interface are irrelevant.  With each of the criteria, we also identify a measurable goal, giving us a standard for success and failure.  "Fast response" is not measurable; "response time no slower than three seconds for 90% of users" is.

Then, using the techniques of agile development, we begin building working models based on all the stated requirements.  Seeing a working model in action often spurs clients to express their needs and desires with greater clarity and precision.  With each iteration, we measure how the model performed on each of the top 10, and we offer alternative ideas for reaching each critical goal.  This evolutionary approach allows you to make decisions about the tradeoffs and relative values, based on objective data and real numbers.  In the end, we arrive together at a product that meets or exceeds all your criteria for success - in less time and with less risk than it takes in the traditional big-requirements-up-front process.

Dominion Digital brings objective, right-sized solutions to you and your organization.  Your agenda is our agenda because we view you as a partner, not just a client.  We make it our mission to make you and your organization heroes to your company and your stakeholders.  The only way we measure our success is through your success, by helping you realize your desired business results.

For more information about Requirements Engineering and Management, please contact us: