2.3 How Requirements are Derived

Keep in mind that, as the project manager, you are driving the bus, but you are not the mechanic . Although your prior experience or expertise may add value to the shaping of requirements content or detail, your focus must be on ensuring that the right people are engaged and that ideas are circulated and openly debated. No matter how ribald these conversations become, you must keep everyone headed down the road of adequate specificity with a high level of consensus. Even if you do not agree with each emerging point, so long as the team does, and the process is thorough and professional, your opinion should fade into the background. Not that you should not make yourself heard , but in this context your voice should be just one in the crowd .

Look at it this way. Your job is to lead and to induce consistent buy-ins from stakeholders. Even though you think something should be one way, if the consensus heads elsewhere, you must go with that, because they are tasked with making it happen, not you. If you force your preference on them, chances are their effort will lack the thoroughness and enthusiasm you need, and in the end everyone looks bad, particularly yourself. This guideline has exceptions, but be very certain you are doing more than advocating your personal prejudices before making the ill-fated "my way or the highway " speech. This is one performance that is not likely to raise calls for an encore!

2.4 An Airport is Born

Suppose your next project is to design and build a new international airport. ^[2] You have been given 1000 acres, $12 billion, and a half- decade before the first "wheels up." Here is your scope:

The Greater Palumbo Port Authority will design, build, and operate the Jaime Stetweiller International Airport to be located in the Farminghaven Region (County Parcel 102.2.1.A1C). The airport will be capable of supporting current and future generation commercial aircraft serving domestic and international air routes.

Transportation support systems shall be in compliance with FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] regulations. Rapid transit rail will provide easy access to parking, car rental, hotel, and off-site mass transportation to be coordinated with local, state and federal agencies. Extensive and attractive retail space shall be provided to provide patron convenience and significant revenue to the Port Authority. Security shall be in compliance with all pertinent local, state, and federal regulations.

^[2] I am using this project to make a few points because if we go into detail on hardware or software I might lose half of you. Besides, many IT projects have this level of complexity and confusion even if they lack the glamour of building a huge transportation facility.

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2.5 Applying the Big Thirteen

Once you recover from the excitement over receiving this plum assignment, it is time to pull out your Big Thirteen cheat sheet and start digging. Let us say that, after contacting everyone you thought you should speak to regarding the new airport, you came up with the results listed in Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 2: Big Thirteen Interrogatory Applied to the Airport Project

What is to be done?	Build international airport with shopping mall and links to local mass transit.
What are the benefits?	Locals will not have to drive 120 miles to nearest airport. Thousands of jobs.
Who benefits?	Local businesses. Local labor pool. The traveling public. Airlines. Various bureaucracies. Financial underwriters.
Who is the customer?	Port Authority in proxy for taxpayers.
Who is the sponsor?	Governor.
Fit?	No local mass transit to link to. Inadequate water, sewer, and telecom facilities at site.
How much will this cost?	$12 billion budget.
What is the timeline?	Year 1: studies. Year 2: designs complete, bids let. Year 3: construction starts. Year 5: open for business.
What are the dependencies?	Regulatory approval. Funding. Operating model. Linkage to off-site mass transit.
What is the risk?	Environmental impacts.
Success metrics?	Positive cash flow by third operating year.
How will we support this?	Operating model TBD (to be determined).
What's the shelf life?	Need to commission study of future capacity requirements.

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