"Avoid Creep-Discover the REAL Requirements"

Robin F. Goldsmith, JD

Go Pro Management, Inc.

IEEE Consultants Network Meeting -- Wednesday, 7:00 PM, September 28, 2005

There's a simple (though not easy) way to avoid much of the

requirements/scope creep that many developers assume is normal and

unavoidable. "That's not what I expected" and "Users don't know what

they want" indeed are repeatedly predictable outcomes of the

inadequate way requirements are defined conventionally, but they

don't have to be. This interactive presentation shows the

primary-but seldom recognized--REAL reasons developers continue to

get requirements and scope wrong, which is what actually causes

creep. Powerful techniques are described for discovering the REAL

requirements and documenting scope in ways that can dramatically

reduce creep.

Robin F. Goldsmith, JD

Robin F. Goldsmith has been President of Go Pro Management, Inc. consultancy since 1982. He works directly with and trains professionals in business engineering, requirements analysis, software acquisition, project management, quality and testing.

Previously he was a developer, systems programmer/DBA/QA, and project leader with the City of Cleveland, leading financial institutions, and a “Big 4” consulting firm.

Author of numerous articles and the recent book Discovering REAL Business Requirements for Software Project Success, and a frequent speaker at leading professional conferences, he was formerly International Vice President of the Association for Systems Management and Executive Editor of the Journal of Systems Management. He was Founding Chairman of the New England Center for Organizational Effectiveness. He belongs to the Boston SPIN and served on the SEPG’95 Planning and Program Committees.

Mr. Goldsmith Chaired BOSCON 2000 and 2001, ASQ Boston Section’s Annual Quality Conferences, and is a member of the ASQ Software Division Methods Committee.

He holds the following degrees: Kenyon College, A.B. with Honors in Psychology; Pennsylvania State University, M.S. in Psychology; Suffolk University, J.D.; Boston University, LL.M. in Tax Law. Mr. Goldsmith is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.

PLEASE NOTE:

No charge for Consultants Network members; $7 charge at the door for non-members. Casual dress.

The Consultants Network meeting starts at 7:00 PM. The meeting location is the SHERATON LEXINGTON INN, 727 Marrett Road (Rt. 2A) in Lexington, MA. From Route 128 take Exit 30B (Hanscom Field/Concord) onto Route 2A West. The hotel entrance is on the right. Check the Consultants Network website for details and last minute information. For more information, e-mail cn.boston@ieee.org or chairman@boston-consult.com; or contact the chairman Tom Vaughan at 781-344-0087. The Consultants Network website is at www.boston-consult.com.