Topic: Requirements Management Plan

Requirements Management Plan

A requirements management plan is a component of the project management plan. Generally, the purpose of RM is to ensure customer and developer have a common understanding of what the requirements for an undertaking are. Several subordinate goals must be met for this to take place: in particular, requirements must be of good quality and change must be controlled. The plan documents how these goals will be achieved. Depending on your project standards, a variety of sections might be included in your RM plan. Some examples are:

• introduction to RM and document overview
• document scope
• issues affecting implementation of the plan, such as training on the RM tool
• applicable documents, such as policies and standards
• terms and definitions used in the plan - if your use of the term “requirement” includes several requirement categories, define it here
• methods and tools that will be used for the RM process (or the requirements for selecting a tool if one is not selected)
• the RM process, including any diagrams of the process
• authorities and responsiblities of participants
• strategy for achieving requirement quality, including traceability and change control
• appendices usually contain a discussion of quality factors, as well as references, any forms to be used in the process, and additional details not included in the main body of the plan, such as report examples

I have The Project Manager's Desk Reference and Effective Requirements Practices in my library and recommend them both. Effective Requirements Practices contains templates and practical instructions for developing RM plans, policies, and processes. The author works for a CMM level 5 organization.