Product Description

A powerful system for getting the right requirements--and creating products faster, better...and cheaper!

"Never time enough to do it right, but always time enough to do it over." In today's "faster-better-cheaper-at-any-cost" world, this is not just a joke, but an all-too-frequent reality. And, most often, a poor understanding of the requirements for a product is the reason it must be done over.

CUSTOMER-CENTERED PRODUCTS is a highly practical new book that helps readers gain a clear understanding of how to elicit the right requirements early on in a project--and make the right product the first time. Packed with useful information, enlightening real-life examples, and money-saving solutions, this book shows readers how to:

* Identify where their current requirements process is weak * Bridge communication breakdowns that lead to muddy requirements * Eliminate costly mistakes and rework * Improve product quality without increasing cost * Use operational concepts to improve requirements quality * Improve the fit between the product and the customers' needs * Prove that faster, better, cheaper is possible, and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #509620 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 271 pages

About the Author
Ivy F. Hooks (Fair Oaks Ranch, TX) is president and CEO of Compliance Automation, Inc. She has provided training and consulting in requirements for a variety of corporations and government organizations, including Kodak and NASA. Kristin A. Farry (Friendswood, TX) is an engineer with over two decades' experience in aerospace, robotics, and biomedical engineering.

Customer Reviews

At Last--A Requirements Book for Managers!
This book will help managers save time, money, and schedule on development projects. It contains practical advice based on lessons learned on real projects. For example, data are provided that show that spending more effort on emerging the real requirements rather than simply using the customer's stated requirements can reduce costs by half! The authors recommend specific actions managers can take. They provide a set of useful checklists and suggestions for how to apply them. For example, what is the manager's role in developing good requirements? How can a project prioritize requirements so that resources are allocated consistently with real customer needs and expectations? How can important practices such as recording the rationale for each requirement, identifying and managing interfaces, and considering verification during requirements definition be implemented effectively? Hooks and Farry, both seasoned practitioners, have provided a valuable roadmap to help managers develop customer-centered products. The book is easy to read and the recommendations are easy to apply.

Customer-Centered Products
This book is an extremely useful guide to the difficult task of writing and managing requirements. It clearly states the case for spending the time and effort on producing a clear, concise requirements document, then steps you through the process. This book is especially great, because it is written with the manager in mind, to explain to them the why and how of requirements definition and management. If your customer or manager keeps asking you if you've started coding/building/manufacturing before you even know what it is you are making, then buy him this book!

Good primer on product development
A thorough and straight forward primer on developing new products. Where it lacks creativity and a wealth of examples, it provides a solid understanding and approach. Recommended reading, but I would check your local library before shelling out money for this book. A good read but not one that I would necessarily keep on my shelf for future reference.