What is Requirements Management?

Requirements management involves gathering, understanding, refining, prioritizing, and planning everything a product or project needs to succeed.It is a continuous process throughout the product lifecycle to make sure your end product meets the needs of customers and stakeholders.

Successful requirements management means understanding various types of requirements, ways in which to write them, and also strategies that will help you manage them efficiently. Keep reading or jump ahead to the section you want to read:

Requirements Definition 

Before you can write a requirements document, you need to understand what requirements are and how to gather them. Requirements define the needs of the customer as well as the needs of the business, so there are many who will need to contribute to the complete list. Ultimately, requirements come from your stakeholders, including partners, customers, management, product management, engineering, sales, support, and operations.

Requirements gathering needs to include both functional and non-functional requirements. Functional requirements ensure that your end product is what the customer wants. While non-functional requirements ensure you stay within your limits.

How to Write Requirements Documents

To ensure a successful release, you need a proper requirements document. This document is comprehensive, and it’s about more than the product requirements. It outlines:

  1. The purpose of the product.
  2. That purpose broken down into features.
  3. Release criteria goals.
  4. Release criteria goals.
  5. The review(s) from the stakeholder(s).

Here are some detailed tips and instructions for writing requirements and requirements documents:

Requirements Traceability

Traceability is critical to proving compliance during an audit. It also supports impact analysis and risk management. Learn everything about traceability — from who needs it to how to create various types of matrices.

Requirements Traceability Matrix — Everything You Need to Know

Requirements Traceability Matrix — Everything You Need to Know

How Important is Requirements Management?

Understand the process of managing requirements, why this is important, and how to do it well.

Requirements Management: Modern Tips, Tactics, & Tools

Requirements Management: Modern Tips, Tactics, & Tools

The Hidden Benefits of Requirements Management

You can get a lot out of managing requirements with the right approach. For instance, with change analysis, you can see the impact of a change to a requirement before the change is made. This is especially useful for risk analysis. Find out more in Analyzing the Impact of Requirements Change.

Using the right requirements management tool can also improve communication and teamwork.

4 Ways Requirements Management Can Improve Teamwork

4 Ways Requirements Management Can Improve Teamwork

Finding and Using the Best Requirements Management Tools

If you’re wondering if you need to upgrade your current requirements management tool or process, review these 10 Signs You’ve Outgrown Your Requirements Management Tool. By upgrading your requirements management tool or process, you may be able to save a lot of time and money.

Linking Requirements to Test Cases to Save Time and Frustration

But how do you select the right tool? Read this Requirements Management Tools Comparison to learn what makes a good solution.

Requirements Management Tools Comparison

And, if your team relies on Jira, you may be wondering: Can You Use Jira for Requirements Management?

Can You Use Jira for Requirements Management?

Requirement Management Tips for Helix RM and Helix ALM

Already using Perforce for requirements management? Bookmark this page so you can refer to these handy resources any time you need them:

Save Time, Save Money: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

Requirements management is no small feat. Simplifying any part of the process could save you a lot of time. Here are some of the best tips and examples of ways you may be able to improve your own processes:

Software Development Best Practices, From Planning a Theme to Setting Requirements

Improve Your Requirements Management

Helix ALM simplifies the entire development lifecycle. It lets you easily track and trace requirements, conduct impact analysis, and more. It’s yours free for 30 days.

Manage Requirements In Helix ALM

Need to see more first? We recorded a demo so you can assess Helix ALM on your time.

Watch The Demo