2.9 Updating the Project Requirements Document (PRD)


The Business Requirements Document was created in Phase 1. The information created by the Phase 1 lead should have been inputted into the PRD. Any changes made to the Business Requirements Document since the end of Phase 1 should be updated into the PRD. At the end of Phase 2, the Design Document s Feature/Functionality rollup should be added into the PRD. The PRD provides a document and a forum where QA, Documentation, and Help Desk can identify and input any of their special requirements. Specifically, a new section is added that includes an overview from each of these departments. QA s section should identify a specific level of quality and provide a list of tests to run, ensuring this level of quality is achieved. For example, a project that plans on updating employees PCs may include a statement identifying the applications that will be run, the time it takes to load and run these applications, and the optimal screen size and resolution for each of these applications.

Documentation s section should specify the type of documentation that will be made available and at what technical level the explanations found within the documents should be. Help Desk will identify the level of support they are prepared to supply. Their section might specify that Help Desk personnel will be prepared to answer questions on the following topics; that user calls will be answered within thirty minutes on the following topics; and that e-mail requests will be responded to within four business hours.

The team must all agree that everything in this document attributed to their group will be completed by project release. This document will be used as the baseline of what the departments have committed to creating. It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to make sure all managers within the company who have a deliverable specified within the PRD receive a copy of the PRD. The PRD is frozen once executive staff approves Phase 2.

Strategic Agreements

In Phase 2, the type of software, hardware, or services needed for the project is identified. Hardware, software, and services are not chosen in Phase 2. Phase 2 is used to identify the needs of the organization, the expectations of the solution, an optimal design for the solution, and the expected level of quality. For example, if the project is for new PCs, the applications, the estimated time to access the applications, the screen size, the need for portability, and the networking capabilities should be identified. The Project Manager will use QA s quality specifications identified in the PRD as a baseline for reviewing possible equipment selections. In Phase 3, QA might be asked to run their tests on top contenders, so the company can make the best selection. A similar approach should be used for identifying software and services. If the company is looking to install a new application, the Project Manager will use the documents created in Phase 2 to identify the features and performance needs for this application. This information is presented to management for approval. Once approved, the actual solutions can be purchased or created.

In Phase 3 ”Development, the agreements will be negotiated. The strategic agreement section of the PRD will be updated, the vendor will be chosen, and the contract negotiated and signed.

2.9 in a Nutshell

The information created by the Phase 1 lead person for the Business Requirements Document should be used as the basis of a PRD.

  • Any changes made to the Business Requirements Document since the end of Phase 1 should be updated into the PRD.

  • Any strategic agreements, including software licenses, need to be identified.




Effective IT Project Management
Effective IT Project Management: Using Teams to Get Projects Completed on Time and Under Budget
ISBN: B000VSMJSW
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 105
Authors: Anita Rosen

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