Requirements Writing

Presenter: Dr Mike Ryan

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Duration: 2 Days | Price: $2,200

Course Aim

The Requirements Writing course provides attendees with an overview of the practice of writing textual requirements and is therefore ideally suited to those involved in the drafting, reviewing, or approving of function and performance specifications (particularly in the Defence environment). The requirements course provides a formal framework for requirements writing but also has a strong practical element with opportunities for practice through a number of exercises.

No particular background is required for this requirements course, although some familiarity with the systems engineering and project management is assumed.

Attendees receive a copy of the presenter’s book Requirements Practice.

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Course Outline

Introduction: Brief revision of systems, systems engineering, and the role of requirements engineering | Overview of requirements engineering | Relevance and benefits of requirements engineering

Conceptual Design Activities: Revision | Mission, goals and objectives tutorial | Requirements Breakdown Structures (RBS) |Context diagram | Operational scenarios

Requirements Writing Exercises: A number of practical exercises are conducted to reinforce the rules for writing requirements. Attendees first practise identifying and correcting errors on requirements and then build on that experience to write requirements starting with the development of mission goals and objectives and then developing suitable context diagrams and RBS. Finally, attendees undertake a review of a set of requirements looking for errors in individual requirements as well as inconsistency in the set.

The Presenter

The requirements course is presented by an internationally recognised expert Dr Mike Ryan who is an INCOSE Fellow and is the co-chair of the INCOSE Requirements Working Group. He is the co-author of the authoritative INCOSE sources for writing requirements: the INCOSE Needs and Requirements Manual published by Wiley as well as the INCOSE Guide to Wri ting Requirements. Over the last 35 years, he has facilitated mission engineering and needs and requirements development activities for more than 50 major projects. He is the author or co-author of fourteen books, four book chapters, and over 450 refereed journal and conference papers.

Course Material

The following resources will be provided to attendees of this requirements course:

A copy of the authors book Requirements Practice.
A PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentations used for the course.

Course Brochure

Download the requirements course brochure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this course aligned with INCOSE products and manuals? Yes, most certainly. The presenter is an INCOSE Fellow and is the co-author of the authoritative INCOSE manuals and guides on writing requirements: the INCOSE Needs and Requirements Manual and the INCOSE Guide to Writing Requirements. He is also the co-author of the relevant chapters on needs and requirements in the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook.

Is this course suitable for me? This course suits anyone who is involved in the involved in the drafting, reviewing, or approving of function and performance specifications. It is also particularly suited to those responding to requests for tender.

Do I need a technical background to complete the course? Although some familiarity with the systems engineering and project management is assumed, no particular background is required for this course. If you would like to obtain greater familiarity with systems engineering in general, you may wish to attend our three-day Systems Engineering—Introduction or our five-day Systems Engineering—Advanced courses.

Course Testimonials

“Relevant to the defence context.”
“Clear and concise.”
“Requirements writing examples were a major strength.”
“Examples and clear, easy-to-follow slides for future reference.”
“Great relevance to the work I am doing.”
“Group exercise work was great, and the breakout rooms worked well.”
“The Day 2 exercises enforced all the material covered on Day 1 and early Day 2.”
“Requirements, FPS writing and the textbook resource were major strengths.”
“Paced appropriately with good content.”

Presenter Testimonials

“Presenter’s knowledge and relating to real-world examples.”
“Knowledge of the presenter.”
“Mike was great.”
“Big thank you to Mike for his time and sharing his knowledge and experience with us.”
“Experienced teacher.”
“Excellent presenter, obviously well versed in the subject with significant experience.”