This co-presented session will describe how to take on a new project with constraints and generate the requirements necessary to start, build and complete a new product. Presenter Bio(s): Caroline is a leader in product management and marketing in tech and is also involved in technical entrepreneurial efforts. Caroline has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Steve is a leader in product management and executive management in the tech world, and has also defined and launched software companies. Steve has a BS in Business from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Caroline and Steve are on the board of the Wireless Technology Forum. Caroline is the founder of Women in Wireless, a special interest group associated with the Wireless Technology Forum.

1. Creating Requirements
How to Launch a New Project with limited Information, time and money
Steve Youngblood Caroline Dunn
@thecarolinedunn@newbrew

4. Before creating requirements,
ask these questions:

6. How to progress – Ask “What”
• “What” are we planning to build? What is it? New functionality, a
new UI, a newer “mobile first” product?
• Is this a new product or just “lipstick on a pig”?
• Possible answers include, complete new UI, a refresh, attacking a new
industry, expanding the product line
• Is this a priority?
• Is this within our wheelhouse?
• What do I need to provide to kick off the project?

8. How to progress – Ask “Why”
• First question to ask is “Why”. Why are we doing this? Why is this
important? Is this from an RFP? Is this due to new investment? Is
this due to a change in direction?
• Requirements gathering may require gathering information from
investors, customers, research, executives and more. It’s important
to consider the right sources and understand why they’ve authorized
a new product or major update to a product
• Possible answers include, complete new UI, a refresh, attacking a new
industry, expanding the product line

10. How to progress – Ask “For Who”
• Is this for certain industries?
• Is this for existing customers
• Is this for investors trying to better package the company
• Is this for eliminating technical debt (for the CFO and CTO)
• Is this for eliminating costs (CFO)

12. How to progress – Ask “When”
• When is the expected launch date?
• When do we need to have a POC?
• When do we need estimates, dev and financial?
• When can we start?
• It’s best to start from launch and move backwards to map out how
much time will be available for planning, development, testing and
launch

14. How to progress – Ask “How”
• How will this be supported? By the CEO/Board, financial?
• How many resources do we have available inside the company today?
• How do we get more if we need them?
• How will this be presented inside the company (to the development
team)?
• How do we make money on this? How do we retain customers with
this?
• How are we different from the competition?

15. How to Write Requirements

16. Now we can start creating requirements
• Now that all the constraints have been identified, we can now create
requirements that fit within those restraints.
• Break it down! Start with Use Cases
• Who are the users (salespeople, developers, soccer players)?
• What types are there (admins, non-admins, hierarchy)?
• What is their “journey”? What do they need to do (they need to create and
book events, then email those events to their attendees and then manage
registration)?
• When are they on their phones as users and when do they sit at their desk
using a browser?

17. Example Time!
How to Write Requirements for Alexa Development

19. User Stories

20. Always Include…
• Purpose
• Target Release
• Stakeholders / Team Members
• Team Goals and Business Objectives
• Overview description of the skill
• Background and Strategic Fit
• Customer Needs
• Assumptions
• Out of Scope (What we're not doing)

21. Source:
https://www.atlass
ian.com/agile/pro
duct-
management/requ
irements

22. Source:
https://www.atlass
ian.com/agile/pro
duct-
management/requ
irements

23. Thanks for Attending!
Thought Leadership at www.alexadevgroup.com !
Steve Youngblood Caroline Dunn
@thecarolinedunn@newbrew

24. Projects vs Features
• Creating user stories and epics are limited in scope and focused on near
term deliverability. Require precise definition
• Projects come from new ideas, require higher level definitions, may have
unrealistic timelines and limited budgets and require reaching into many
areas to define requirements
• Projects are focused on building new or completely refreshed products
• Atlassian refers to “Initiatives” which are mega Epics. They still though fit
in the same structure as user stories and Epics.
• Projects, when in a rush mode, may require 1 day sprints compared to the
2 or 3 weeks sprints followed when iterating an existing product
• MVP, MVP, MVP. Rationalization is key to delivering a first cut of a new
project.