In the software development world, every detail matters. It’s a nuanced process in which each element plays a crucial role, aligning the final outcome with user expectations. Understanding this complex process and how Software Quality is achieved through Requirements Engineering is essential.
To delve deeper into this topic, we invited Vinícius Bueno da Silva, a Software Quality expert at Monitora, to share his vision and practical experiences.
Vinícius explains that the quality of a product in software development is closely linked to its ability to meet user needs. “Quality software is one that satisfies the demands for which it was created,” he states.
This excellence is achieved not only by developers’ commitment to creating functional software but also through tangible benefits like simplifying tasks, preventing failures, and optimizing available resources.
Unlocking these benefits lies in effectively managing Requirements Engineering. This area curates, analyzes, and manages requirements, which are the detailed specifications determining what a system must do to meet user expectations.
Besides the concept and importance of Requirements Engineering, this article covers practical examples from Vinícius, illustrating real-world applications in creating high-quality software.
Prepare to dive into the depths of software quality, guided by the experience and perspective of a professional on the subject.
Benefits of a well-structured requirements engineering
Increasingly, high-performance and technologically updated companies are focusing on Requirements Engineering. After all, this resource is an effective way for the product to succeed in its final outcome.
Initially, this process includes collecting information from customers and users involved. This information must answer the following question: what difficulties should the software address?
At this point, it’s crucial that the professional responsible for this collection retains as much information as possible. These data will generate the “requirements,” the elements and functionalities of the software capable of solving users’ problems.
According to the expert, quality should be a constant in all development phases: “It’s not just about testing at the end; it’s about ensuring quality from the start, with each team member contributing.”
Applying this method as a quality resource can be the main differentiator in creating a complete product. Next, see the benefits involved in this decision.
Greater mastery of client’s business processes
Understanding the company’s business processes and desired outcomes is essential for the product’s quality. Some requirements will only become apparent through this well-defined knowledge.
Vinícius exemplifies with a case from a Monitora client, a payments and cybersecurity solutions company, where developing a digital wallet required complex integrations with VISA and MasterCard APIs. “A detailed understanding of the certification processes was vital. We identified essential business rules not clear in the manuals, avoiding excessive expenses and project extensions.”
“Communicating with each card brand required extensive certification processes. During development, we realized that VISA and MasterCard’s service manuals didn’t clarify all the essential business rules for our API. So, we dedicated ourselves to a deep study of these certification processes.”
This effort resulted in a deeper understanding of the client’s needs, allowing the team to identify and integrate critical business rules in the API development before starting the certification process.
“This not only avoided additional costs for corrections and project extensions but also gave the client greater mastery over their own business processes and ensured the necessary certifications for product launch,” comments Vinícius.
Greater ability to identify and manage involved risks
Every business presupposes a level of risk that may or may not lead to a successful outcome. Predicting risks is essential for business sustainability, and more entrepreneurs are turning to software for this.
Using this technology is the most efficient way to predict where the risks are and how to address them. Again, Requirements Engineering stands out for its ability to generate an analysis that is panoramic yet able to recognize details. It’s in this attentive look that the involved risks are perceived.
Vinícius exemplifies how careful analysis of requirements enriched a Monitora client’s process in the credit protection and database area: “We achieved robust test coverage, identifying critical failures still in the development phase, resulting in stable functionality without incidents.”
Greater capacity for prioritization of delivery items
One of the main principles of optimization is identifying what is a priority. However, what is a priority is not always clearly visible to developers. Therefore, Requirements Engineering contributes to software quality by providing accurate analysis capable of recognizing business priorities.
Still in the example of the credit protection company mentioned by Vinícius, he explained: “When I started serving the client, the team faced a big challenge with a functionality related to managing clients’ financial resources,” reports the expert. “The initial documentation did not clarify crucial aspects, such as the presence of a ‘statement’ report or screen for clients to view their transaction history, or how a reversal would be carried out in case of service failure.”
After a series of questions to the team and the Product Owner, Vinícius and the entire development team were able to enrich the business process with additional and essential information. “This allowed us to propose a more robust test coverage aligned with the functionality’s criticality,” he explains.
The impact of this approach was significant: “We identified the most critical failures still in the development phase. With this, we managed to deliver a functionality that has been in production for about a year and without incident records from end users,” highlights the professional.
This example demonstrates how efficient prioritization of delivery items, based on a detailed understanding of requirements and client needs, can lead to significantly better results.
Clarity regarding expected results in both success and failures
When starting the software development process, it’s necessary to recognize what is expected at the end. That is: what is the ultimate goal? How is it expected that this software will act in the end? Note that this will be the standard or ideal to be pursued throughout the product’s elaboration.
The more developers are fully convinced of this target, the better it will be to map the paths to achieve it and also to recognize failures, including predicting possible failures.
“Understanding clearly what the client expects, both in success and failures, is crucial,” affirms the professional. Clarity in the expected results helps the team maintain focus and avoid deviations in the development process.
Reduction of the “Cone of Uncertainty”
Since we are talking about initial expectations, we must mention how the use of Requirements Engineering helps reduce the analysis of the “Cone of Uncertainty”. In this case, this is the concept in which both uncertainties at the beginning of the project and precision in problem-solving throughout development are analyzed.
At the beginning, there are many uncertainties, but it’s also possible to think about reducing these doubts considerably. The action of Requirements Engineering will allow for a more complete perception of the demand.
This will guide the developer throughout the process, including setting an appropriate deadline for project delivery, avoiding delays, and also the rush that generates imperfections in the final result.
Vinícius highlights the importance of reducing the “Cone of Uncertainty” by establishing more accurate deadlines. “Requirements Engineering gives us a clear view of the project, decreasing uncertainties and costs associated with delays.”
Reduction of failures incidence and costs in corrections being made in early development stages
Finally, it’s necessary to mention how the correct use of Requirements Engineering as a way to guarantee quality to the product helps to reduce “rework”. It’s very common for some failures to be noticed only at the end of the procedure, implying the need to revisit the project from the beginning or in very early stages.
The early identification of potential failures and divergences in interpreting requirements is essential. “Many failures result from divergent interpretations. Correcting them at the beginning of development reduces costs and deadlines.”
Benefits of Quality in every stage of the development process
Rigorous quality standards are the key to delivering a successful product. But it’s not necessary for these standards or mapping to emerge as a stage. Rather, it’s a principle that guides the entire development. This means that in all cycles, quality needs to be applied, including the initial stage.
Vinícius emphasizes that quality in software development is an integrated process that begins with understanding the requirements and permeates all stages of development. “Our goal is to deliver not just a software that works but one that adds real and tangible value to our clients’ business processes.”
Now that you understand the importance of having a Requirements Engineering, with deep and efficient analyses, for the perfect development of your company’s software, you realize how essential it is to have specialized consultancy on the subject.
Therefore, consider Monitora for top-notch Requirements Engineering resources within a Quality process. As a result, you will have a complete, high-quality software, less prone to failures, and with greater capacity to satisfy the client.
To learn more about what Monitora can do for your company, visit our business page.
