Incremental URD/SRD Development
The adoption of a Continuous Assessment Phase on a major communications programme presented the Requirements Manager in an MoD Project Team with a number of new challenges. As a result of Harmonic’s systems engineering expertise and domain knowledge, the company was selected, under competitive tender, to offer support.
The challenges facing the PT included:
- Maintaining three URDs and three SRDs through life
- Establishing clear baselines for each Capability Release and maintaining coherence between them
- Respecting ‘as-built’ aspects of the system whilst adhering to best practice
- Supporting the surge effort required to deliver each release of documentation without losing hard earned background experience
These issues had to be addressed whilst delivering documentation to meet the timescales for Initial and Main Gates and in the face of continual last minute inputs from stakeholders.
Harmonic helped develop and embed new and flexible ways of working and supported gate review submissions. A three stage approach was adopted to:
- Baseline the Existing Document Set, removing more than 100 duplicated requirements and validating and repairing URD to SRD linkage where necessary
- Develop Through Life Requirements Sets, accomodating the management of continual changes whilst ensuring a clear set of requirements for each increment
- Specify Detailed Improvements, introducing a special section within the SRD that would cover these aspects and could be removed at next increment
Throughout Harmonic provided strategic advice to the PT and documented procedures in a RAMP and supporting process documents for future use.They also supported the Requirements Working Groups needed to endorse the URDs and SRDs. At contract end Harmonic took a service-based approach providing continued access to expertise and the flexibility to cost-effectively satisfy surge demand for support.
The Results
- More effective through life capability delivery through new ways of working
- More efficient and effective requirement delivery resulting in the removal of non value-adding activities clearly focused on meeting customer/user needs