How to write quality requirements

This course explains the techniques and rules for correctly using natural language when writing requirements, which is the usual manner of expressing these in order to facilitate understanding between analysts and end users. It focuses on good practices for understanding, writing and classifying requirements, and on the characteristics of a good requirements specification. It includes exercises to be carried out using the IRQA Quality Analyzer © tool, which analyses the quality of the requirements specification and proposes recommendations to improve writing thereof.

Contents:

1. Introduction to the course on how to write requirements
2. Requirements specification methods
3. Requirements validation criteria
4. Validation criteria for the set of requirements
5. Requirements validation with IRQA Quality Analyzer ©

Duration: 6 hours

Target audience: 

• Project managers
• Development engineers
• Systems engineers
• Marketing technicians
• Department managers
• Quality/methodology managers (QA Managers)
• Sales team
• Anyone who needs to write requirements

People techniques and skills for requirements capture and analysis

This course provides the methodological guidelines for effectively investigating users’ needs, developing interpersonal skills to obtain systems or services requirements through mutual trust, understanding others’ problems, resolving conflicts and reaching agreements to achieve shared success.

In order to better assimilate its contents, the course combines theory and practice, placing greater emphasis on the latter, as content is more easily assimilated through practice rather than by simply listening or reading.

Contents:

1. Requirements investigation objectives
2. Types of requirements
3. Concepts used
4. Investigation stages
5. Investigation cycle:

• Capture
• Analysis
• Documentation
• Validation
   

6. Consolidation stages
7. Investigation techniques

Duration: 24 hours

Target audience:

• Project managers
• Systems engineers
• Development engineers
• Functional and business analysts
• Department managers
• Quality/methodology managers (QA Managers)
• Subcontracting managers
• Interlocutors with IT in business areas

Metrics, Dashboards and Skills

The objectives of the seminar are to:

• Learn the use of metrics for management and select them accordingly.
• Learn how to create a dashboard that will become a permanent management aid.
• Define the metrics for controlling processes in ITIL-type models.
• Provide project and service measurement techniques.
• Support negotiations with suppliers or clients with objective project and service-related figures.
• Be able to keep a homogeneous and accumulable control of projects and services in an area.

Contents:

1. Methodology

• Metrics and their types:
  • Types of metrics and their use.
  • Metrics and monitoring.
  • Correlation of metrics for decision-making.
    
    
• Metrics in projects and services:
  • Metrics for controlling objectives.
  • Metrics for economic control.
  • Metrics for quality management.
    
    
• Metrics and operating risks:
  • Risk identification and valuation.
  • Metrics in operating risk control.
    
    
• Metrics as an operating tool:
  • Metrics-based alert events.
  • Daily events management.
    
    
• Dashboards:
  • ANS and dashboards.
  • Dashboards as management tools.
  • Indicator hierarchy.

2. Interpersonal skills

• Work plan and performance review.
• Establishment of team objectives.
• Objective team evaluation.
• Achievement incentives.
• Objective evaluation of client satisfaction.
• Metrics as a consensus tool.
• Metrics and conflict prevention.

Duration: 16 hours

Target audience:

• Directors and managers (particularly in the field of ICT)
• Project managers (particularly in the field of ICT)
• Project Office managers.
• Service provision managers.
• Process and information technology consultants
• Senior technicians.
• Quality, organization, process and strategy team.

Service Centre and skills

The seminar will provide attendees with a basic knowledge of the Service Centre’s functions, roles and activities, in addition to the management processes to which it gives support, in accordance with ITIL service provision best practices, such as:

• Defining the functions of the Service Centre.
• Creating incident and request management procedures.
• Establishing and putting in place the organization’s awareness strategy.
• Planning Service Centre implementation actions.

Contents:

1. Methodology

• Scenario where the service provision will take place.
• Bases that support the model (the client, the user and the service).
• The Service Centre.
  • Functions and duties to be performed.
  • Activities to be carried out.
  • Types of centres.
  • Tools to be used.
  • Escalation of incidents.
    
    
•  Processes supported by the Service Centre
  • Incident management.
  • Request management.
  • Problem management.
    
    
•  Service Centre measurements and monitoring
  • Indicators and objectives.
  • Service availability.
  • Ongoing improvement.
  • Information for clients.
    
    
• Action plan for Service Centre implementation.

2. Interpersonal skills: 

• Telephone communication.
• Client oriented.
• Active listening workshop.
• Assertive training.
• Client care workshop
  • Complaints management.
  • Conflictive situations.

Duration: 20 hours

Target audience:

• Service Centre managers.
• Service Centre qualified team.
• Persons responsible for supporting the Service Centre in incident and request resolution.
• Persons with service provision management responsibilities.
• Consultants who are going to work in process re-engineering.
• Directors, managers and project managers of ICT departments.

Project management and leadership skills

This seminar provides a combined resource management and team leadership methodology that will help fledgling project managers and will make work easier for experienced project managers.

The seminar’s objectives are to:

• Define the scope of a project and justify its convenience in terms of cost/profit.
• Apply a project management and leadership methodology, including costs, human resources, incidents, changes, risks, etc.
• Monitor and control subcontracted projects, increasing productivity and cost savings. 

Contents:

1. Methodology:

• Projects and project management
• Project definition
• Planning and planning stages
• Management and planning techniques
• Monitoring and control
• Project close

2. Skills:

• Leadership
• Team management
• Communication
• Provisioning and negotiation
• Meetings and group processes

Duration: 32 hours

Target audience:

• Persons with project management responsibilities or being promoted to a management role.
• Persons responsible for monitoring subcontracted projects.
• Persons responsible for work teams.
• Project Office members.
• ICT project managers.

Supplier management skills

Inter-company service provision implementation is a growing reality, due to the need to specialize in the interests of competition. Consequently, this often leads to outsourcing.

The seminar envisages the perspectives of both clients and providers and aims to provide the attendees with the skills they need to:

• Lead service contracting or outsourcing negotiations (outsourcing operations).
• Prepare the Service Level Agreement.
• Monitor and control contracted services.
• Calculate service costs.
• Associate the dashboard with the Service Level Agreement.

Contents:

1. Methodology:

• SLAs and their implementation.
• Services catalogue – types of services.
• SLA and contract negotiation.
• Service costs.
• Service monitoring and dashboards.

2. Skills:

• Effective communication.
• Assertive training.
• Active listening.
• Influence and persuasion.
• One-to-one consensus workshop.
• One-to-one conflict resolution.

Duration: 20 hours

Target audience:

• Persons responsible (at clients and providers) for contracting services.
• Persons responsible for units that participate in service provision.
• Control and quality team members.
• Persons responsible for controlling outsourced or internal services.
• ICT directors, managers and project managers.