Errors in the requirements specification will cost you:
- 5 times more to find and fix if they remain until design.
- 10 times more if they remain until coding.
- 20 times more if they remain until unit testing.
- 200 times more if they remain until delivery.
That is more than convincing evidence to fix them during the requirements phase!
Start using your software architects and key software engineers to review software requirements before they go to development. Don't do this as a waterfall process where the SRS goes from Product to Architecture to Development. Make it an agile process where people get involved before the SRS is "done." It will make changes easier and less painful.
PROTIP: Put the SRS in a version-control system such as GIT with each section a separate file. This way anyone can make changes to the SRS that can be reviewed, approved, and tracked. Add in a script to combine the sections into a single file for easy handling. Everyone knows that this can be done but I have yet to meet a single product management team that does it.
Start using your software architects and key software engineers to review software requirements before they go to development. Don't do this as a waterfall process where the SRS goes from Product to Architecture to Development. Make it an agile process where people get involved before the SRS is "done." It will make changes easier and less painful.
PROTIP: Put the SRS in a version-control system such as GIT with each section a separate file. This way anyone can make changes to the SRS that can be reviewed, approved, and tracked. Add in a script to combine the sections into a single file for easy handling. Everyone knows that this can be done but I have yet to meet a single product management team that does it.
Reference:
Boehm, B., "Software Engineering," IEEE Transactions on Computers, December 1976.
