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Use_An_MRD_To_Control_Your_Outsourcing
| Use An MRD To Control Your Outsourcing
Is your software development process as unpredictable as the
weather? Is your software casting a shadow causing six more
weeks of programming? Are you using a marketing requirements
document (MRD) or magic to predict your software release
schedule?
Early in my career, I worked in a lab for a company that sold
microwave devices. I was responsible for the HP computer system
that ran the software used to design the circuits. One day a
tech support guy from HP came by. He asked what we did in the
lab. When I told him "designing microwave circuits", he said,
"Oh, I hear they use a lot of FM".
I paused and tried to remember if Frequency Modulation was
really used in these circuits. Before I could respond, the guy
from HP continued, "Yeah, it takes a lot of F-----g Magic to
make those circuits work!"
He was right. A major issue with microwave circuits in those
days was creating them with a high-yield manufacturing process.
Too often there was much tuning and tweaking of individual
devices with toothpicks and tweezers to make shipment dates.
Since then I have worked on a few software projects where some
amount of "FM" was required to get the software released.
How about your software projects? Do they drift along never
seeming to finish? Do they require the heroic efforts of a few
individuals to make your shipment dates?
Outsourcing can solve the issues of delayed software releases by
imposing more process on your software development - more
process than is typically used in an organization where everyone
is working in close proximity.
Outsourcing vendors need to have a well-defined process and
excellent communication to be successful. Software development
is all that they do. Outsourcing not only gives you the benefit
of having your software developed for less cost, but also a
process that provides improved predictability, results and
success.
But many remain fearful of outsourcing. The number one concern
is losing control of the software development process.
One client expressed it this way. "I can't just tell the
programmers what to do on a day-to-day basis. It would be like
hiring a contractor to build a house and telling him to put a
window over there and a door over here. You have to understand
what impact that will have on the plumbing and electrical and
the building of the rest of the house."
He is right. You need to have some idea of the architecture and
the plan for construction. Working together with a few
programmers in the same room can sometimes let you make some
shortcuts and share the plan by informal word of mouth. ˇ°Just
put a pop-up window over here.ˇ±
Except for small and simple projects, this informal
communication does not work. You need some description of the
requirements for the software. You need to find a way to
efficiently communicate the requirements of your software so you
can move beyond the "idea" stage with the vision for your
software.
The first step in creating a software product is to write a
Marketing Requirements Document or MRD. It contains a brief
description of all the features, functions and benefits your
product must have to be successful in the marketplace.
Some companies make a distinction between an MRD and a PRD - a
Product Requirements Document. The PRD has more details on what
the software should do. For example, you need both an MRD and
PRD when you are creating several services and products. The MRD
describes the product strategy, market positioning and sales
channels required to deliver the products with specific sets of
functionality to the market. The PRD on the other hand focuses
on the detailed requirements of the software itself.
The MRD or PRD should include basic architecture and the
critical user interface for your software:
* Software architecture * Hardware platform selection *
Functional specification * User interface design *Multiple ˇ°use
casesˇ± describing how users will interact with your software *
Story board demo (optional) * Major release milestone schedule *
Quality Assurance testing * Technical Documentation requirements
* Detailed schedule (up to completion of first major milestone)
* Cost estimate for cost-efficient and time-effective
outsourcing development
Your marketing requirements document or MRD describes the
functionality of your software product and how it will be sold
and distributed. It is also a device to control your software
development process, especially if you outsource. Otherwise you
run the risk of delays, poor quality and just not knowing what
you are doing.
About the author:
Steve Mezak is an expert at onshore, nearshore and offshore
outsourcing. As an internationally acclaimed speaker, author and
consultant, Steve has shown hundreds of software executives how
to use outsourcing as a major strategic advantage for developing
their software.
Steve has over 25 years of software development experience. He
is a veteran of 6 Silicon Valley startups in roles ranging from
technical lead to CTO and CEO.
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