Don’t Make These Common Mistakes: Owning Your Requirements in Business and Life
Whether business, user-based, technical, or personal – it’s important to remember that requirements evolve. People’s wants and needs evolve.
One of the biggest blunders that I see is when a person who is responsible for moving a project forward, does it on behalf of someone else’s wants and needs. Or does it with outdated wants and needs in mind. A project manager may have completed a very similar project in the past, assume the requirements for this new project are the same as the old, and start plowing forward. This can lead to waste of time, waste of resources, and burnout.
Our own wants and needs evolve, too.
Say you recently set a goal to start exercising three times a week. Ten years ago, you were a member at a gym you loved and went all the time. But joining a new gym today might not be the fast-track to achieving your goal that you think it is. Why? Because you’re only looking at the wants and needs of a decade ago. Maybe now you need the accountability that comes with instructor-led exercise. Maybe now you want workouts you can do from home. Defining your current requirements are tantamount to success.
Another mistake I run into is people who say, “I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know what I don’t want when I see it.”
At Nimble Up, we often create templates for our trainings. I provide the written content and hand it off to a graphic designer to format and, as I like to say, “make pretty.” Because this type of design isn’t my area of expertise, it would be easy for me to simply say, “I don’t know.” My designer would take a shot in the dark, returning edit after edit as I discover what I “don’t want.” Again, think of all the waste that comes along in that scenario.
Instead, I can identify for the designer the things I do know that I want and need. I need the document to be in Nimble Up branded colors and fonts. I need it to be a downloadable PDF. I want the graphics to be playful and fun, but not too cartoony.
I can also name multiple rounds of edits as a requirement itself. Telling my designer, “I’m not 100% certain what the end product should look like, so I would like a minimum of three rounds of edits before we consider this template complete,” gives them a much clearer picture of the process up front.
At the end of the day, we’re talking about wants and needs, yes. But we’re also talking about expectations. If my designer doesn’t know I want and need three rounds of edits, their expectation on a template design project might be NO edits. They could submit the document, assume their role is done, and then get frustrated when changes are requested. By defining my requirements and sharing them, I am able to manage my designer’s expectations on this project.
Sharing requirements is also beneficial to our personal relationships. If your girlfriend asks you what restaurant you’d like to eat at and you respond, “I don’t know,” but then shoot down every suggestion she makes, you’re not exactly setting that date up for success. Instead, you might say, “I don’t really want to drive anywhere tonight, so I’m game for somewhere we could walk to!” By naming a requirement – the restaurant must be in walking distance – you’ve helped to manage expectations about what you’ll accept and what you’ll reject. Your girlfriend knows that if she suggests that diner across town, you’re probably going to say no. Expectations are an important part of this puzzle, too.
Finally, we can’t ignore the benefit of exploring our own wants and needs – purposefully and frequently.
Over the past few years, since having cancer, I promised myself that I would listen to my wants and needs. I promised that I would do the things I wanted and needed for myself; do the things I found value in. If I could identify the benefit, that was enough. From small things like getting a cup of coffee with a friend and buying fresh flowers for my apartment, to big things like starting a new relationship or kicking off a work project I’ve been dreaming about for years.
And I will tell you, as a result of prioritizing my own requirements, my life has transformed in a very positive way. It doesn’t mean there hasn’t been hurt, heartache, and disappointment along the way. But as I’ve gotten clearer about my wants and needs, my levels of happiness and joy have exponentially increased.
I feel as though I’m living every day more authentically.
I encourage you to do your own exploration into your personal wants and needs. Document them. Share them.
Owning your requirements—whether in business, relationships, or personal growth—is an ongoing process of self-awareness and communication. It’s about being proactive instead of reactive, creating clarity where there could be confusion, and setting expectations that lead to success.
Create the Space™ for Requirements,
Rebecca