Continual collaboration with key stakeholders is imperative across the software development lifecycle. The Vision is no
different. The Vision document provides a foundation for software development activities. This foundation is gained by
understanding the stakeholders in the business process; identifying their needs, and understanding the business problem
to be solved.
The Vision document defines the problems and goals known at the time when it was initially written. The goals of the
stakeholder can evolve as the development team begins defining the solution. The development team can in fact find
different and perhaps better ways to address the business problem. As a result, it is critical for the development team
to be lockstep with the stakeholders as the solution is developed. Collaboration is key. Collaboration can be
obtained in many ways: reviews, documented discussions, etc. Many considerations regarding the importance of
collaboration and understanding stakeholder’s goals are important for organizations that adopt Outside In thinking.
See “Outside-in Software Development: A Practical Approach to Building Successful Stakeholder-based Products” by
Carl Kessler and John Sweitzer.
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