Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Planning for Requirements Management
7.1 Introduction to Planning
The quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln states, ''If I am given six hours to fell a
tree, I will spend the first four on sharpening the axe'', emphasizes the importance
of planning. Another quote attributed to Peter Drucker states ''Nobody plans to
fail; but they just fail to plan''. I don't think that I can do any better than these two
quotes to explain the importance of planning. Planning may not prevent failure
altogether but it certainly increases the chances of success and reduces the risk of
failure in any human endeavor. It helps in anticipating the required resources
reliably and in locating the risky areas in our endeavor so that we have adequate
time to prepare and mitigate them successfully. But before we move further on this
topic, let us define planning and understand its import.
7.2 Definition of Planning
Planning is defined as the intelligent estimate of resources required to accomplish
a predefined endeavor successfully at a future date within a defined environment.
The key aspects of the above definition are:
1. Estimate—it is the best guess/anticipation of future requirements. It can be
based
on
the
organizational
norms
and
the
expertise/experience
of
the
estimator.
2. Resources—cover the 4 M's, ''Men (people, term 'men' is only used for the
sake of rhyme), Materials including money, Methods, and Machines (equip-
ment)''. Resources are always applied over the course of the performance of the
human endeavor.
3. At a future date—the dates for executing the project are in the future.
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