REQUIREMENTS !

We do like Don Estes' blogs: we always find something to learn.. This page is about Business Rules, but you will find many interesting concepts abut requirements. I think this two images are very important, too  

There are many steps between the real needs, the requirements you write, how the thing is made. * What the user really needs * What the user knows What the user thinks * What the user actually says to you What you hear What you understand What you memorize * What you write down What the developer will read * What the developer will understand etc.

At the end of it, the job of us "requirements gatherers" is to ask the right questions.  In my experience, the really big issues arise basically from three kinds of errors : - All the questions you forgot to ask, - Some questions that you asked, didn't get (or understand) the answers well, and were afraid of asking again (and again, and again, and again), - Some questions you asked in the wrong way (so the user was "forced" to give you an incorrect answer).