Incomplete requirements specifications are often the most significant reason why projects fail. Conversely, accurately defining requirements and strictly managing and tracking them are crucial aspects of successfully implementing a project. The Steinbeis Transfer Center for Microelectronics (TZM) has developed the software ReVantage for Windows. It allows the quick and efficient management of requirements written in natural language.
A lot of companies are interested in solutions for requirements management because they know that it plays an important role in the success of their projects. Despite this, they often rely on simple text and spreadsheet processing applications – like those included in standard office software packages – for their requirements management. This choice is often made for cost reasons, and the known drawbacks of these solutions are taken into account. The ReVantage software developed by Steinbeis experts bridges the gap between market heavyweights like Doors and standard office applications. It does this by combining note tools with requirements management tools. Through its innovative design based on easy-to-use mobile devices, ReVantage sets new benchmarks in terms of user-friendliness and convenience. The intuitive and ergonomic user interface underscores how the software was designed to best support users through quick, keyword entries for requirements.
For example, attendants of a requirements workshop can get started by entering a title or the date of the workshop. They can then immediately begin entering requirements. Each requirement can be prefixed with the name of the originator, ensuring traceability for users. Convenient drag and drop functionality allows users to assign all entered requirements to a freely defined category or to set a status for the requirement. The software also allows requirements prioritization and commenting. If any terms used during the workshop require further explanation, they can simply be added to the integrated glossary.
Requirements are often similar from project to project. The advantage of ReVantage is that it offers users a list of all requirements that have been entered in the past – across all projects – and tagged with a particular keyword. Users can select any desired requirement(s) from a list of stored entries by dragging and dropping it to their current project. In this way, the list of requirements acts as a type of checklist. Most requirements will have been specified and defined after only a few workshops. What’s more, with ReVantage, requirements can serve as templates for easy use and reuse. If recorded requirements are deemed irrelevant over the course of a workshop, their status can temporarily be set to "on hold". Requirements can also be moved to the trash and restored from the trash at any time. After the workshop, the user can further develop the requirements by adding more detail. The history of all requirements is automatically recorded, making all changes, dependencies, and refinements traceable at all times.
For better distribution and further processing with other tools, requirements lists can be exported in various formats. They can also be printed as a report. Full text searches and filtering options are also available. These can be set through simple commands in a markup language. Re- Vantage allows users to enter requirements of any kind, for any industry – regardless of whether they are intended for internal development or for transfer to a supplier or service provider.