You’re in the market to build a new house. Would you tell the builder what you’re looking for, or would you just tell him to build “something?” If the latter, what’s the likelihood that the house you end up with is going to be what you want? Documenting your requirements should be obvious, right?

Software functionality vs. business requirements

Sometimes it’s not so obvious when it comes to the purchase and implementation of enterprise QMS software. I use the house analogy quite often, partly because I’m a home do-it-yourselfer, but mostly because it’s true. You might be amazed at the number of organizations that come to the table with little to no documented process requirements. Many will have high-level, request for proposal (RFP)-type requirements—for example, “The system must be accessible via an internet browser.” In fact, the RFP will have 50 to 60 pages of these types of things. However, in terms of actual functional business process requirements, many times they’re lacking.

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