Summary
This chapter highlights that the customer's stated needs require careful scrutiny to determine the real needs. Several specific recommendations and suggestions are advocated to help you determine the real customer needs and requirements. You will find that you can save effort and money, as well as do a better job (improve customer satisfaction), by addressing these recommendations. Please don't ignore them because they are presented concisely. I've emphasized that a huge amount of waste (almost half the costs on a typical project) is caused by using the normal approachrelying on the customer's stated requirements. Informed PMs and requirements engineers can redirect resources that are typically wasted to the implementation of these recommendations and suggestions. Enlist the support of your PM, and utilize a requirements specialist to implement these proven ideas. An organization should undertake implementation of these recommendations gradually and seek to evolve an approach that is continuously improved, based on your own experience and what works in your environment.