SMART Requirements

What does the requirement means? Basically a requirement is more than an expected outcome of any project. Requirements are generally defined by the customer. Many things we engage in at work and in our lives have requirements. At work you might ask a subordinate to update an existing report with the market data from the previous week. In reality, you have just supplied a set of requirements. In simply gathering the requirements chances of getting ambiguity is high. The information may not be clear and if any changes has to be made then the changes might occur in other document.

So to get rid from this problem SMART framework is used. Now the question arises that what is SMART requirement. SMART is the acronym of Specific Measurable Acceptable Realistic and Time-bound.

SMART framework is a good requirement technique and it should have all the important aspects like consistency, accuracy, coherency, unambiguous and clear. Most of the time the requirement engineer has correct understanding but fail to implement the correct documentation.

SMART is a tool which is used for determining if requirements are well written or not. Description of S.M.A.R.T-

Specific: A good requirement is sufficiently specific if the need is clear enough to be able to determine an appropriate solution. It should not be misunderstood when read by others. 

Measurable: A requirement is measurable if you can prove that the requirement has been realized by use of a test. In other words it can be said that it should be able to verify the completion of project. 

Acceptable/Assignable/Achievable: A good requirement or a set of requirements in terms of form and style are acceptable if the quality demands have been met. 

Realistic: Good requirement is said to be realistic if it can be filled in with feasible and viable solutions.

Time-bound / Time-related: A good requirement is time-bound or time related when there is clear indication of when the requirement must be realized or will be realized. As the name itself suggest that there is a time boundation of when or how fat the requirement will be completed.

CONCLUSION:

This concludes that how SMART can be used in your requirements. Requirements are an important part of setting up the expectations with customer. In the absence of details, the customer will make assumptions in their head. State everything in your requirements. If it is not stated, it is not committed to be completed.

Once you believe that you have a completed the set of requirements, it is a best-practice to review them with your customers. This can be done on paper, or via email, but is a step that should not be ignored. It enforces that both parties review and completely agree on what work is being done and what is to be delivered. Do not always settle for a verbal yes; people forget and then change their minds. By going through this formal step it helps your customer to understand that you are serious about delivering your product that what they need and to do this on-time.

About Author:

Ayushi Guda is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, she actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. She can be contacted at: ayushi.guda@spluspl.com