I cannot overstress the importance of understanding all of the customer's requirements for a
project. A thorough understanding of all requirements is critical to project success.
Why It Is Important to Establish a Requirements Baseline
I've also learned how important the requirements baseline is to delivering a project on time and on budget. At the beginning of a project, everyone has to agree on what is being delivered. Everyone has to understand that future changes must be agreed to by the sponsor, stakeholders, and you before the changes are made.
To create the requirements baseline, the stakeholders and project team need to understand the business benefits of the project.
Some Common Pitfalls of Requirements Gathering
I've seen the requirements definition process go awry in many ways. Some problems are so subtle that they do not become apparent until the project is almost finished. The primary source of cost and schedule overruns is problems relating to requirements. These problems can lead a customer to reject a deliverable or a major rework of the project. Poorly defined requirements can also lead to project failure.