Requirements Workshops

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Requirements Workshops
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What is a Requirements Workshop

• Typically a one or two day event in which the key
  stakeholders of the project gather together.
• The purpose is to gain rapid agreement on a
  course of action.
• It is designed to encourage consensus on the
  requirements.
• It may be the most powerful technique for
  requirements elicitation.

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Benefits of a Requirements Workshop

• It assists in building an effective team,
  committed to one common purpose the success of
  the project.
• All stakeholders get their say no one is left
  out.
• If forges an agreement between the stakeholders
  and the development team as to what the
  application must do.
• It can expose and resolve political issues that
  are interfering with project success.
• The output, a preliminary system definition at
  the features level, is available immediately.

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Preparing for the Workshop

• Selling the concept
• There may be resistance, but if you hold it
  they will come.
• Ensuring the Participation of the Right
  Stakeholders
• It is vitally important that all critical
  stakeholders attend. (They have probably been
  identified already.)
• Attending to Logistics
• Making sure that all necessary arrangements have
  been made in a professional manner will send a
  message to attendees that this is an important
  event.

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Preparing for the Workshop (Contd)

• Providing warm-up materials
• Send out relevant materials ahead of time so
  attendees can be prepared and be in the right
  frame of mind. Try to deliver the message that
  this is not just another meeting.
• Choosing the facilitator
• If possible, have a facilitator who is not a
  team member. Facilitator should not contribute to
  the ideas and issues of the meeting.
• Setting the agenda
• The agenda should reflect the needs of the
  particular project.

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Warm-Up Materials

• Project-specific information
• Drafts of requirements documents
• Bulleted lists of suggested features
• Copies of interviews of prospective users
• Reports on industry trends
• Letters from customers
• Bug reports from existing system
• Management directives
• Marketing data

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Warm-Up Materials (Contd)

• Out-of-the-box thinking preparation
• Forget about politics
• Forget about past failures
• Forget about problems in the development
  process
• Think outside the box

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Requirements for a Team-Member Facilitator

• Should have received training in facilitating
  workshops
• Should have demonstrated consensus-building or
  team-building skills
• Should be personable and well respected by both
  the internal and external team members
• Should be strong enough to chair what could be a
  challenging meeting

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Responsibilities of the Facilitator

• Establish a professional and objective tone for
  the meeting.
• Start and stop the meeting on time.
• Establish and enforce the rules for the
  meeting.
• Introduce the goals and agenda for the meeting.
• Manage the meeting and keep the team on track.
• Facilitate a process of decision and consensus
  making, but avoid participating in the contents.
• Manage any facilities and logistics issues to
  ensure that the focus remains on the agenda.
• Make certain that all stakeholders participate
  and have their input heard.
• Control disruptive or unproductive behavior.

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Sample Agenda
Time Agenda Item Description
800-830 Introduction Review agenda, facilities, and rules
830-1000 Context Present project status, market needs, results of user interviews, etc.
1000-1200 Brainstorming Brainstorm features of the application
1200-100 Lunch Work through lunch to avoid loss of momentum
100-200 Brainstorming Continue brainstorming
200-300 Feature Definition Write out two- or three-sentence definitions of features
300-400 Idea reduction and prioritization Prioritize features
400-500 Wrap-up Summarize and assign action items
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Sample Kick-Off Memo

• Memo
• To Stakeholders in the __________ project
• Subject Upcoming Requirements Workshop
• From
• I am the product project manager for the
  _________ project. The project was or will be
  initiated on ________ and will be completed on
  its deadline of _________.
• (We know it, we mean it, and we intend to
  complete it on time.)
• As with most projects, it has been difficult to
  gain consensus on the new features of this
  application and to define an initial baseline
  release that meets the needs of our diverse group
  of stakeholders.
• (Its harder than heck to gain agreement on
  anything with this group, so were going to try
  something a little different. Heres what that
  is )

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Sample Kick-Off Memo (Contd)

• In order to facilitate this process, we will be
  holding a requirements workshop on __________.
• The goal of the workshop is to finalize the new
  features for the next baseline release of the
  product. In order to do so, its important that
  all stakeholders inputs be heard. The workshop
  will be facilitated by ___________, who is an
  experienced requirements management facilitator.
• (Since, as stakeholders, we may also be biased,
  we will have someone from outside the team help
  us make sure that the workshop is managed in a
  fair and unbiased way.)
• Results of the workshop will be available
  immediately and will be distributed to the
  development and marketing teams the next day.
  Your are cordially invited to attend the workshop
  and to provide the input that is representative
  of the needs of your team, department,
  customer. If your are unable to attend, we
  strongly recommend that your send a team member
  who is empowered to make the decisions
  representative of your needs.

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Sample Kick-Off Memo (Contd)

• (We are going to initiate development the very
  next day if you want your input to be heard on
  this project, be there, or send someone who can
  speak fro you. In other words, speak now or
  forever hold your peace.)
• Included with this memo is a brief description
  of the currently anticipated features of the
  product, as well as some reading material about
  the workshop and brainstorming process. The
  workshop will last until 530 P.M., and we will
  convene promptly at 830 A.M.
• (This project, and this workshop, is going to be
  professionally run to demonstrate this, we have
  provided some advanced reading material to help
  you be better prepared. We need you to be there,
  to contribute, and to help us get this project
  off to a proper beginning.)
• We look forward to seeing you there.
• Sincerely,
• Project Leader

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Running the Workshop

• Problems and tricks of the Trade
• Running the workshop can be very challenging.
  Its helpful if the facilitator has a bag of
  tricks.
• Brainstorming and Idea Reduction
• This is the most important part of the workshop.
• Production and Follow-Up
• The project leader must follow up on open action
  items and organize the information for
  distribution to the attendees.

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Workshop Tickets

• Late from Break
• 1 Free Cheap Shot
• Thats a Great Idea!
• 5-Minute Position Statement

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Late from Break Ticket

• Rule Each participant initially receives one
  free coupon for being late. Thereafter,
  participant donates 1 to the penalty box.
• Objective Keep the momentum going.

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1 Cheap Shot Ticket

• Rule Each participant initially receives one
  free coupon for a ding or knock on a person
  or department. Thereafter, participant donates
  1 to the penalty box.
• Objective have a little fun and make people
  aware of the political issues in the project.

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Thats a Great Idea! Ticket

• Rule Participant initials two Great Idea
  tickets. Participant gives ticket to any
  participant who provides a great idea. Goal is
  to spend your coupons.
• Objective Give incentive and reward creative
  thinking.

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5-Minute Position Statement Ticket

• Rule Participant spends coupon at any time.
  Facilitator gives podium to participant and sets
  timer. Everyone listens. No interruptions!
• Objective Allow for a structured process of an
  hoc input. Assure everyone gets their say.

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Workshop Problems and Solutions
Problem Solution
Time Management Its difficult to get restarted after breaks and lunch. Key stakeholders may return late. The facilitator keeps a kitchen timer for the meeting and times all breaks. Attendees who are late must contribute a Late from Break ticket while they have one or pay 1 to the penalty box.
Grandstanding, domineering positions The facilitator enforces use of the 5-Minute Position Statement ticket to regulate input. He or she also creates a parking lot list for later discussion of ideas that deserve discussion but are not relevant to the agenda item.
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Workshop Problems and Solutions (Contd)
Problem Solution
Lack of input from stakeholders The facilitator encourages attendees to use their 5-Minute-Position Statement tickets and their Thats a Great Idea! coupons. Make it clear that no one should leave the workshop without having used the tickets or received a Thats a Great Idea! coupon from others. (Suggestion Make a simple reward for the use of each one.)
Negative comments, petty behaviors, and turf wars. Use 1 Free Cheap Shot tickets until the participants dont have any more thereafter, have them make charitable contributions to the box (the group decides how much).
Flagging energy after lunch Do whatever you can do to keep things moving. Serve a light lunch, provide mid-afternoon snack breaks, move the furniture, rearrange the participants seating, change the lighting or temperature.