Presented at InnoTech Austin 2016. All rights reserved.

1. User Requirements
is a Fallacy
VIJAY GEORGE
2016 AUSTIN INNOTECH
NOVEMBER 17, 2016
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2. Do users know what they want?
 Is it really a fair ask?
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3. What are you really asking …
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4. What you ended up with
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5. Needed paradigm shift
 Business Case and Governance
 Requirements and Features
 Development Cycle
 User’s role in the system
 IT’s role in the business
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6. Business Case and Governance
 Business case usually doesn’t say
make it work like it’s worked for the
last 20 years
 We tend to assign project SMEs
from those knows the current
system really well
 Without Leadership and
Governance they will steer toward
what they know
 Importance of Organizational and
Human Change Management
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7. Requirements and Features
 Long feature list hardly used…
Feature List
Usage
 Long memory of what
happened in back in ’99
 “I better get it now since it will
be another 10 years before
they listen to me again”
 Proud of what they have
created over the years
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8. Development Cycle:
Building bridges and building software
Define Build Test Deploy

9. User’s role in the system
 We tend to try to translate the physical
experience into the requirements for the system
 User is not outside the system
 Virtual changes the physical experience
 Human Computer Interface has to be
experienced
 User experiences of the system will be different
 Leave room to learn through experience

10. Evolutionary nature of Change

11. Lessons from the startup world…
 MVP
 Experiencing it changes the requirements
 Things change
 Users learn / Markets inform
 Development team learn

12. IT’s view of Business: Customer Service
 Is that a good idea?

13. IT’s role in the business: Partnership
 A better idea …  IT is an integral part of the business
not separate that needs alignment
 Most IT projects are business
transformation projects not just a
technology installation
 Clear trade-offs help the business
make better choices
 Trusted Partner vs. Service Provider

14. Why is everyone moving to Agile
 Turn bigger projects into smaller cycles
 Developers have to demo along the way
 User’s experience changes the requirements
 Recognizes the human part of the system
 User and Developer part of the same team

15. Waterfall and Agile

16. Paradigm shift
 Business Case and Governance
 Leadership and Change Management
 Requirements and Features
 MVP and evolution through experience
 Development Cycle
 Iterative approach with teaming developers / users
 User’s role
 Recognize the human is an Integral part of the system
 IT’s role in the Business
 Partner and Trusted Advisor

17. Thank You

18. Contact Information:
Vijay George
Partner
Stratamation
360 Nueces Street, Suite-3010
Austin, Texas 78701
Vijay.George@stratamation.com
Phone: 512-297-8009
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STRATAMATION