CHANGE IN REQUIREMENTS DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS
Year: 2011
Editor: Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Dong, A.
Author: Sudin, Mohd Nizam; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema
Section: Design Methods and Tools Part 2
Page(s): 200-208
Abstract
Specification is an integral part of the product development process. Frequently, more than a single version of a specification is produced due to changes in requirements. These changes are often necessary to ensure the scope of the design problem is as clear as possible. However, the negative effects of such changes include an increase in lead-time and cost. Thus, support to mitigate change in requirements is essential. A thorough understanding of the nature of changes in requirements is essential before a method or tool to mitigate these changes can be proposed. Therefore, a case study approach was employed to understand change in requirements - particularly concerning the initiation and management of these changes. Semi-structured interviews were adopted as the data collection method. The interviews were transcribed and analysed based on a pre-defined coding scheme. The results of the study shows that change in requirement was a normal part in the design process because internal stakeholders initiate changes through analysis and evaluation activities. In addition it was found that design engineers frequently updating specification document at the end of the design process
Keywords: SPECIFICATION; DESIGN PROCESS; CHANGE IN REQUIREMENT