Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Accurately determining and analyzing client requirements
Some client requests and the later requirements are quite straightforward.
Others, however, can be complex and will need a lot of thinking through on your
part as well as the client’s.
You may have heard of technology purchased by an organization that ends up
being hardly used. Or equipment purchased by isolated communities that breaks
down and is then left to rust, because parts are not easy to get, and the experts
are all in the city. You may have heard of systems that are set up that fail to meet
the organization’s needs or soon get outdated.
In these cases, the client may not have had a clear idea of exactly what was
required and may have anyway been mistaken in their assessment. Or the
‘expert’ or supplier may not have helped the client to analyze and determine
what their needs are.
What information do you need from your client?
You need to specify the areas in which you need information from the client. A
template, with a list of areas such as those in Table 2 below, can help direct your
questions. At her second interview with Edward, in the bookstore case study
above, Joy will be able to ask questions that will help her to fill in such a template.
Table 2: Template to further question client requirements
Focus area
Response
Background of the
organization or business:
Objectives of this exercise /
project:
Problems (and any
underlying issues):
Criteria for successful
achievement of objectives:
Issues, factors and
information that impinge on the
problem:
Resources available to
address the problem:
Possible strategies for
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Focus area
Response
addressing the problem:
Plan of action to be
implemented:
Client feedback process:
Plans for the future:
Budget:
Project scope:
Project specifications:
Project timelines:
Other comments:
If the client’s request involves more than one problem, you may need to fill
out one of these templates for each problem. Joy, for instance, would probably do
this if Edward did in fact want to add a cafe business added to the current
bookstore, since it would present a whole series of different problems requiring
solutions.
The list of course can be adapted to suit your needs. In your own situation, or
area of study at present, is there a client whose needs you are required to
determine? If so:
 does the list in Table 2 above suit this task?
 would you need to remove any of the headings in Table 2?
 would you need to add other headings to Table 2?
Analyzing client requirements
Suppose you’ve determined your client’s requirements. You’ve collected
information on areas listed in Table 2. You’ll now look at that information and ask
yourself questions such as:
 Does the client know exactly what they want?
 Is there anything I need to research to help the client make a more
informed decision?
 Would I be able to meet the client’s requirements?
In other words, you analyze what the client has said their requirements are.
You might then decide to carry out research on the subject. You might find
that there are other ways of solving the problem that had not been considered.
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Your research may involve anything from consulting other people in your
organization to reading up on the subject on the Internet and in journals.
You might find a template useful for noting down your analysis, such as the
one in Table 3. Again, the table here is a generic list of items for analysis that you
could adapt or elaborate. It would give you a systematic way of approaching the
analysis so as to ensure nothing is overlooked.
Table 3: Analysis details
Analysis
Details
What the client requires (to
resolve the problem):
Other methods for resolving the
problem:
Advantages and disadvantages of
each method:
Recommendation (if any) and
reasons for recommendation:
Implications for initial budget,
timelines, etc:
Other comments:
Information you need to provide to your clients
Once you have analyzed a client’s requirements, you can then:
 tell the client if you (or your organization) can meet their requirements
 let them know of other options or possibilities of which they may not have
been aware
 Provide the client with any information that will help them understand
what they’re getting into.
If you work for an organization or business that deals with clients, think of the
types of information that you provide to clients who come to you with requests.
Alternatively, reflect on the last time you yourself had a request. Were you
provided with information that helped you make an informed decision and made
you understand what you were getting into?
Crucial information
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
It’s important that you get the right information from a client to accurately
work out their requirements. And it’s just as important that you provide the client
with information that will help them to agree with you on certain decisions, such
as the specifications and scope of the job.
You don’t want a client to say at a later date that they were not satisfied with
the service you provided (or worse, be taken to court!). You need to try to preempt any later misunderstandings. Table 4 lists types of information that will
need to be obtained from the outset. You may need to provide some of this
information to the client to satisfy your organization’s policies. For example, your
organization may have a policy for charging additional fees for services beyond
those originally requested.
Table 4: Examples of information that should be provided upfront
Item
Explanation
Extra costs
The client must be fully aware of how much
they would need to pay and for what service.
Are there any extra costs that could be incurred
by the client? Are there any extra charges or
penalties the client could be asked to pay under
particular conditions?
Scope of the
You and the client should agree on exactly
what you are supposed to do. They should know
what they have to provide. What are the
parameters of the job (or project)? Exactly what
lies outside the scope or brief?
Specifications
It’s important to spell out the details that you
will need to attend to in order to do the job.
job
Agreement or
contract
Is there a document such as a service level
agreement?
Changing of
the brief
Sometimes halfway through a job, a client
may want to change their original brief. Is there
a deadline for changes to the brief? Which
specifications can be changed? Are there agreed
penalties for changes?
Options and
possibilities
Let the client know what their options are.
Provide information on the features of each
option. The client may make a request for a
certain service or product. However, they may
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Item
Explanation
not be aware of other options or other
possibilities.
Recommendati
Is it your organization’s policy to give
ons
recommendations to the client? Sometimes
clients request that you do. Make sure you carry
out research.
Process
The client needs to be aware of the
processes you’ll take when carrying out their
request. Is the client part of this process? Will
they be consulted? When will they be
consulted?
Roles
It’s important to clarify roles. What is your
role? What is their role? What are the roles of
each person on the project?
Consultation
with the client
Will the client be consulted? At what stages
of the job or project will this consultation occur?
Contact person
Can the client contact you or someone in the
organization if they have queries?
Timelines
What are the dates for the completion of the
job (or various parts of the job)? Will there be
penalties if deadlines are not met?
Job guarantee
or insurance
Is there a job guarantee? If the client is not
satisfied with the service, is there recourse (a
person or a regulatory body they could contact
perhaps)? Do you have any insurance against
defects in work or non-delivery, by which they
might recover any losses in the event of things
going wrong.
Once you have agreed on this information, it would wise to put it down in
writing. It could simply be in the form of a letter to the client where you say
something like: ‘Below are the decisions we made and agreed to at our meeting
on....’ Or it may be in the form of a contract or service level agreement.
If the scope of the job is likely to change and there is no formal agreement of
what to do if that happens, then be sure to give the client plenty of notice and a
clear explanation of that change of scope.
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Complying with organizational and business guidelines
In dealing with a client you must be ready to comply with the guidelines of the
organization or business they are working for or represent. Client guidelines may
restrict choices for proposed solutions, work hours, and even discussion of your
dealings outside the client’s workplace (in confidentiality clauses or agreements).
In extreme cases, you may have to argue for the modification of restrictive
guidelines to allow for new technology or procedures.
Yet other guidelines you need to follow may come from the organization or
business you work for and from statutory requirements.
Guidelines are found in organizational policies and procedures, and in related
documentation that helps to standardize the way things are done, and to decide
who does what, in an organization.
The areas in which guidelines can exist include those listed in Table 6.
Depending on the size of the organization or business the areas below may be
fully documented, or simply known by a particular person. Larger organizations
will typically have better documented policies. Most guidelines are simple enough
to comply with, and are often a matter of common sense.
Table 6: Details of a range of business and operational guidelines
Guideline
area
Description
Business
continuance
There is a business to run. Does the project need to
happen outside hours to minimize client disruption? Will
there be a changeover period where two systems run
side by side to prove the new equipment, software or
processes? Will user training be necessary?
Equipment
type
Keeping hardware compatible helps in troubleshooting and maintenance. Are there service
agreements in place that would be affected? What are
the purchasing requirements and minimum
specifications for computer hardware? Is additional
consumables stock required?
Naming
conventions
Equipment needs to be identified easily. What can
you call or label devices on a network? How are IP
addresses allocated within the network?
Software
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Consistency needs to be maintained throughout an
organization. What programs can be installed? What
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Guideline
area
Description
programs must be installed? Who is allowed to install
them? Operating systems, application programs and
utilities are all covered in this area including the need
for updates and patch management.
Cabling
Technical
documentation
Statutory requirements affect this area. Fixed
telephone, network and mains power cabling needs to
be installed by licensed cable installers or electricians.
(Don’t leave yourself open to penalties by doing them
when you are not licensed.) Non-compliance with these
guidelines can see you and your organization fined. You
can also be held accountable for injuries caused by
incorrect installation.
Other guidelines may be more technical in nature
and you will need to comply with them if you want
equipment to function correctly. These include network
and other communication parameters like unshielded
twisted pair (UTP) cable run lengths, the number of
hubs allowed in a network and universal serial bus (USB)
cable lengths.
Documentation is a varied and often overlooked
resource. Who needs to update this? What format does
it take? Are special programs needed?
Furniture
A corporate image may need to be maintained and
OH&S considerations as well as the suitability of
furniture to support equipment.
Processes
How are items approved and ordered? Who controls
the budget? What paperwork needs to be filled in? Who
needs to sign-off on an order and final installation?
Licensing
Licensing requirements must be upheld to ensure
that all software is correctly sourced, purchased and
registered.
Security
Who has the keys? Do you need security clearance or
keys to enter certain rooms, sections or buildings? What
about the things you see and hear? Is this information
for general public or classed as classified? Who knows
the passwords? Who should be given any new
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Guideline
area
Description
passwords?
Summary
In this reading you’ve considered skills that will help you accurately determine
and analyze client requirements. These include interpreting the client’s business
or operational needs. Active listening and questioning skills can help you to elicit
and correctly interpret client requirements by asking the right types of questions
and by allowing your client to communicate freely and fully.
Systematic documentation of information provided by clients is then possible,
as is the clarification of specifications for a given job or task. Finally you’ve
considered the translation of business needs into technical and licensing
requirements and security issues, and in the context of organizational and client
guidelines.
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Exercise 8 - Analyze & Evaluate Client Business Requirements
Complete the Following activities
1. Which are fundamental areas about which it is important for you and
your client to agree:
 Timelines
 Responsibilities
 Processes
 Scope
 All of the above.
2. If you were to devise a checklist to you elicit information from clients,
what might your questions focus on?
Background of the organization, objectives of the project, budget,
timelines, scope, potential setbacks/problems, future plans
3. List at least five areas that you might encounter in which organizational
and business guidelines will apply.
Business continuance, equipment type, software, cabling, licensing
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