Information Systems

Many companies find that their expensive new IT systems fall well short of their expectations. Certain required functions prove to be difficult, or even impossible, to carry out. In the worst cases, whole sections of the system are unusable, and the gap must be filled by manual procedures or ad hoc PC-based workarounds.

Why?

There are two main possibilities:

  1. The company's requirements were not adequately specified;
  2. The software was sold to a senior director on the golf course.

Sherpa can do nothing about the latter, but we can help you generate a complete and accurate specification.

The first level of specification is the requirements definition. This expresses the functionality the client wishes the system to provide. If written by the client unaided, it is likely to omit aspects of the business which the client considers to be self-evident. It is written as a narrative and must be understandable by non-specialist staff.

The second level is the requirements specification or functional specification. This falls in complexity between the requirements definition and the ultimate software specification. It should still be understandable to non-specialists, but be written with sufficient rigor to form the basis for the final specification. This is normally the basis for the contract between client and supplier.

Sherpa has many years of systems analysis experience. With a backgound both in management and software engineering, we are uniquely qualified to deliver accurate and complete requirements definitions and functional specifications.

Contact Sherpa today to get your IT project off to a good start.