Consultnt's View, July, 2001

What goes into a Specification?

Well, details—but which details? A specification contains all important requirements that the product must meet in order to be acceptable, starting with a top level view of the product: what it is supposed to do, how it is supposed to act.

The format of that information, the level of detail needed, and the effort used to pull the information together all depend on who is going to use the information and how expensive missing details will be. A flow chart might be all that is needed when communicating to others within the same building but an excruciating effort is needed when working with military systems.

From this starting point, the details are added: what buttons are pressed, what messages are given, which processes follow what actions, what kind of security is used, etc. A programmer doesn't care if an on-screen messages says "Thank you" or "Transaction Complete" but you may.

Next are the details of how the product interacts with other parts of the system it is in, and how it interacts with other systems in its environment: what packets are sent when, what protocols, with what security, etc. They may be described as a series of steps in a process, as a state diagram, or as data format tables. One way to approach this is to build a list of things that can happen and describe what the system should do in each case.

Writing a specification can take almost as much effort as writing the code. In some environments, writing the specification actually takes more effort.

Vol. IV no.4

December 2000

What are you looking for?

Does it ever seem to you that clients (those paying the bills) and consultants (such as computer consultants) are living in different worlds? Well...they are, and it can make some aspects of the relationship more challenging.

Those who live by sales rarely comprehend the world of the computer person and visa versa. Sales are often done face to face with personal contact. The prospective client and the sales person watch each other's body language, judge the tone of voice, and come to conclusions about how the relationship will work. "Is he reliable?" "Will she give me the best deal?" "Will they pay on time?" "Will the product do what I want it to do?" In the end, a relationship is established and both client and salesperson have a good, poetic idea of what will be done.

Such methods don't work with computers nor with computer consultants. Computer people live and die by the minute detail and not on the poetic. They deal with vast amounts of information that needs to be understood, remembered, and documented. They are happiest with the written word and can thrive on electronic mail without even meeting a customer.

So, when the two have to communicate, there can be friction. The sales person wants to meet over lunch and the computer person simply asks for a written specification. Managing the relationship requires a way to bridge the two worlds.

Training a sales person to write computer specifications or teaching a computer person how to work a room (with people in it) is not always the best approach. The best one might be able to get from some Sales people is a few lines with the meat of the idea and perhaps a list of features for which the client has asked. But, what the computer consultant is looking for is more likely to be a two inch thick document detailing what happens keystroke by keystroke with every minute step spelled out. Some computer people will take the first phrase uttered and argue over the details in that first line. It is better to add a translator, or interpreter, between the two worlds, who has training in both areas.

Many clients need help with filling documents out to that level of detail. In many cases, the clients themselves have not had to think about their internal processes to that level of detail before. If you do not have someone on staff who is able to do that level of detailing, then it makes sense to look for a consultant who can do that before looking for a computer person to do the development.

Of course, Prairie Trail Software can help with writing your specifications. We have worked with a number of clients who have not had detailed specifications prior to our relationship. They worked with us to help us understand what was being requested and we worked out how that idea could be implemented.

It's a Risky World

Over the last few years, many companies have installed internet censorship programs to catch people using the internet for personal or "inappropriate" use. Many companies fire those found by these programs. Now, there is a backlash growing where people are looking for ways to send emails to someone else which contain invisible links to such sites. When you open the email, it goes and hits on a site and you get noted by the censors. One person stated that he wants to send such hidden hits to those who install censoring programs.

A Consultant's View is published by Prairie Trail Software, Inc., a business and computer consulting firm

Making information from streams of data

For inquiries call 1-888-300-4645 fax: 972-419-0390 mail@prairietrail.com www.prairietrail.com

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