In the third part of the series, we get to know Kirsi, Graniit's experienced requirements specifier, more deeply. Read below how Kirsi describes the most important areas of responsibility of her role and what role the requirements specifier has in terms of the successful outcome of the project.
For a little over a year.
The great atmosphere and friendly people. Things get done quickly and agilely.
I enjoy various types of physical activity, and I also like to read books.
The role of a requirements specifier in system development projects is often described as acting as a link between the business and implementation, and that's indeed what the work largely entails. The responsibilities of a requirements specifier include clarifying the business objectives, gathering, analyzing, and documenting needs and requirements. The work involves investigating matters and holding discussions with various stakeholders. The documentation mentioned earlier is an essential part of the requirements specifier's job, crucial for the smooth progress of implementers and testers' work, as well as for maintenance in the future.
I would say that the key responsibilities are related to identifying and gathering requirements, as well as documenting them. It's also important to provide support to implementation and testing when needed, and to clarify responses to any detailed questions that arise from them.
The first challenge that comes to mind is the changing and sometimes conflicting requirements. Managing these is aided by having a comprehensive understanding of the overall context, meaning knowing and understanding both the business processes and practices, as well as the features of the system being developed and any potential technical constraints.
I believe it's important to understand the processes and thereby grasp the overall context. This also aids in discussions with the business when refining objectives and requirements. In addition to discussions, requirements gathering can be done through activities such as interviews or various workshops. When analyzing and shaping requirements into implementable features, various aspects need to be considered, such as GDPR compliance and ensuring a pleasant user experience, which in turn contribute to achieving a successful outcome.
The requirements specifier should constantly be aware of any changes occurring and identify the potential impacts and dependencies of these changes on the requirements. Collaboration with other project members is especially emphasized in this regard.
What I enjoy the most about the role is its versatility. Particularly, the opportunity to work with both users and implementers. I appreciate the collaborative aspect, where together with other project members, we can plan and brainstorm solutions. Depending on the project, there's also some degree of autonomy in shaping my role as a specifier, such as how technically oriented it is or how well I understand the business domain.
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