Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Requirements Change Management
8.1 Introduction
The quote, ''There is nothing permanent except Change'' attributed to Greek
Philosopher Heraclitus, emphasizes how the world changes. World changes and
requirements too, change midway through the project execution. Almost all pro-
jects would need some change or the other after the requirements are frozen.
Requirements change management begins only upon freezing of the require-
ments, that is, the requirements documents are approved and are subjected to the
project's configuration management. It will continue through the project execution
until the project deliverables are handed over to the customer.
What is a change? A change is basically a requirement that is specified/modified
after the requirements are frozen. The new requirement may be a modified version
of an already specified requirement. Or it could be a new requirement altogether.
Why do requirements change?
Requirements change midway through the course of project execution for a
variety of reasons. Core functionality requirements may change due to:
1. The business environment in which the organization operates undergoes a
change to which the organization needs to respond. This can cause the software
requirements to change.
2. The management of the organization may effect a reorganization of its oper-
ations and this may necessitate a change in the core functionality requirements.
3. Some of the end users may have forgotten some requirements or remembered a
new requirement after freezing the requirements. This would necessitate a
change of requirements.
4. A new statute or a court judgment, or a government diktat can cause changes
after the requirements are frozen.
5. Process improvement activities may have modified some of the existing busi-
ness practices and these can cause the requirements to change.
 
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