| > | | | | would be like hiring a contractor to build a house and |
| | | | telling him to put a window over there and a door over |
| Seize control of your software development with the | | | | here. You have to understand what impact that will |
| right amount of requirements documentation. Create | | | | have on the plumbing and electrical and the building of |
| an MRD or PRD and use it as a roadmap for your | | | | the rest of the house." |
| software outsourcing.Steve Mezak is a successful | | | | He is right. You need to have some idea of the |
| Silicon Valley entrepreneur and international outsourcing | | | | architecture and the plan for construction. Working |
| expert. Get your copy of his free report on | | | | together with a few programmers in the same room |
| "Outsourced Development - A Secret Weapon for | | | | can sometimes let you make some shortcuts and |
| Quickly Creating Software Products" now at | | | | share the plan by informal word of mouth. Just put a |
| Is your software development process as | | | | pop-up window over here. |
| unpredictable as the weather? Is your software | | | | Except for small and simple projects, this informal |
| casting a shadow causing six more weeks of | | | | communication does not work. You need some |
| programming? Are you using a marketing requirements | | | | description of the requirements for the software. You |
| document (MRD) or magic to predict your software | | | | need to find a way to efficiently communicate the |
| release schedule? | | | | requirements of your software so you can move |
| Early in my career, I worked in a lab for a company | | | | beyond the "idea" stage with the vision for your |
| that sold microwave devices. I was responsible for the | | | | software. |
| HP computer system that ran the software used to | | | | The first step in creating a software product is to |
| design the circuits. One day a tech support guy from | | | | write a Marketing Requirements Document or MRD. It |
| HP came by. He asked what we did in the lab. When I | | | | contains a brief description of all the features, functions |
| told him "designing microwave circuits", he said, "Oh, I | | | | and benefits your product must have to be successful |
| hear they use a lot of FM". | | | | in the marketplace. |
| I paused and tried to remember if Frequency | | | | Some companies make a distinction between an MRD |
| Modulation was really used in these circuits. Before I | | | | and a PRD - a Product Requirements Document. The |
| could respond, the guy from HP continued, "Yeah, it | | | | PRD has more details on what the software should |
| takes a lot of F-----g Magic to make those circuits | | | | do. For example, you need both an MRD and PRD |
| work!" | | | | when you are creating several services and products. |
| He was right. A major issue with microwave circuits in | | | | The MRD describes the product strategy, market |
| those days was creating them with a high-yield | | | | positioning and sales channels required to deliver the |
| manufacturing process. Too often there was much | | | | products with specific sets of functionality to the |
| tuning and tweaking of individual devices with | | | | market. The PRD on the other hand focuses on the |
| toothpicks and tweezers to make shipment dates. | | | | detailed requirements of the software itself. |
| Since then I have worked on a few software projects | | | | The MRD or PRD should include basic architecture |
| where some amount of "FM" was required to get the | | | | and the critical user interface for your software: |
| software released. | | | | - Software architecture |
| How about your software projects? Do they drift | | | | - Hardware platform selection |
| along never seeming to finish? Do they require the | | | | - Functional specification |
| heroic efforts of a few individuals to make your | | | | - User interface design |
| shipment dates? | | | | - Multiple use cases describing how users will interact |
| Outsourcing can solve the issues of delayed software | | | | with your software |
| releases by imposing more process on your software | | | | - Story board demo (optional) |
| development - more process than is typically used in | | | | - Major release milestone schedule |
| an organization where everyone is working in close | | | | - Quality Assurance testing |
| proximity. | | | | - Technical Documentation requirements |
| Outsourcing vendors need to have a well-defined | | | | - Detailed schedule (up to completion of first major |
| process and excellent communication to be successful. | | | | milestone) |
| Software development is all that they do. Outsourcing | | | | - Cost estimate for cost-efficient and time-effective |
| not only gives you the benefit of having your software | | | | outsourcing development |
| developed for less cost, but also a process that | | | | Your marketing requirements document or MRD |
| provides improved predictability, results and success. | | | | describes the functionality of your software product |
| But many remain fearful of outsourcing. The number | | | | and how it will be sold and distributed. It is also a device |
| one concern is losing control of the software | | | | to control your software development process, |
| development process. | | | | especially if you outsource. Otherwise you run the risk |
| One client expressed it this way. "I can't just tell the | | | | of delays, poor quality and just not knowing what you |
| programmers what to do on a day-to-day basis. It | | | | are doing. |