The following is a mission statement for every software development or maintenance team:

To promise and deliver to the business,
on time and within budget,
innovative software
that meets end user needs and expectations
requiring minimal rework and maintenance.

This mission statement says a lot but let’s focus on business needs this time. Some say there is a limitless supply of business needs and wants; if an end user says they need a particular piece of functionality then it goes without saying they want the functionality. They equate business needs and business wants. But just because an end user wants something does not mean they need it. Many times what they actually need is not what they ask for or even thought about. Being human, they at times jump straight to their preconceived solution, often stating that solution as a list of software requirements that are not really software requirements.

Many use a technique of asking “why” to determine needs from wants. An example outside of software development to make the point: A teenager may say they need a new car and often will give requirements of: convertible, red, Bose speaker system, racing slicks, automatic transmission, tinted windows, radar detector, etc. Notice the requirements are to a preconceived solution and many of the stated requirements are design elements. A business analyst should ask “why do you need a car”? After a few answers to a few “why” questions it might be determined the real need is transportation, of which there are many possible solutions, a car being just one of them. By determining transportation requirements, instead of car requirements, one can help implement the best and cheapest solution to meet the real need.

The pressure to promise and deliver software to the business community on time and within budget has never been greater than it is today. That pressure is fueled by reduced budgets and schedules to meet global competitive pressures. This is not news to many software development teams. There is simply not enough time or budget to meet every end user want. Many end user wants can be analyzed to possibly fewer business needs. First determining business objectives and the resulting business goals will help identify real business needs. Business needs satisfy the business where business wants at times satisfy certain individuals. Satisfy the business and everyone should benefit.

- Steven