Wyde Specifications Builder^®

WSpecs

Wyde introduces WSpecs, a set of tool tools integrated into e-WAM for Business Analysts and those who assist them.  Using WSpecs, Business Analysts can

• build more complete specifications
• visualize a running prototype of the specifications
• incorporate end-user comments
• iterate quickly
• communicate effectively with Development Teams

The Problem -- Communication

Building today’s applications is a difficult procedure requiring very high levels of communication and cooperation among Business Analysts and Development Teams. Business Analysts specify the needs, and Development Teams implement them as applications. The #1 reason development projects fail is due to incomplete and imprecise specifications resulting from communication difficulties between these two groups.

Development Teams criticize Business Analysts for

• not knowing what they want
• changing the specifications during the project
• requesting too complicated specifications
• not being clear
• using a word processor to build their specifications instead of more technical and more rigorous tools available to them

In turn, Business Analysts criticize Development Teams for

• not respecting delivery dates
• spending beyond their budgets
• getting caught up in obscure technical discussions instead of focusing on business issues
• failing to provide visible progress until the project's completion
• overestimating modification costs

In brief, the problem is one of communication.

The Solution -- WSpecs

Development Teams desire specifications that ideally indicate detailed structural design, such as detailed UML diagrams.  UML diagrams, such as the class diagram, describe the structures of the business entities and their inter-relations.  Development Teams rarely criticize such a specification for lack of rigor and definitiveness.

However, technical formats such as UML diagrams are too difficult for Business Analysts to build and evaluate.  On the other hand, the ideal format for a Business Analyst to validate his specifications is a functioning prototype that manipulates real business data. In addition, the Business Analysts can present a prototype to end-users for their validation.  Unfortunately, such a prototype is generally available only towards the end of the development cycle.  Thus, Business Analyst validation and end-user feed-back is only available at the end of the project, at which point new modifications are often requested.  For this reason, projects that are 95% done require a considerable amount of time to finish the remaining 5%.

To resolve this problem, Wyde introduces the WSpecs tools.

WSpecs is ideal for Business Analysts to use to specify their applications.  Business Analysts use the WSpecs tools to write rigorous, text-based specifications with automatic hyper-links among the business terms.  They take advantage of pre-existing business glossaries and project templates.  Even more time can be saved by using the fully compatible Wyde Framework, which contains extensive libraries of ready-to-use business components and patterns. 

When used in conjunction with the other tools of e-WAM, WSpecs allows the creation of Active Specification^®.  Active Specifications are detailed, textual specifications of the application to build plus a working prototype of the application to validate the specifications.  The Business Analysts define their business terms and processes with the WSpecs tools, and the Technical Teams link these specification entities to the software entities that implement them.  True teamwork results from this close collaboration base on the fully integrated Wyde tools.  Managers and end-users can evaluate the running prototype, and the specifications can be easily modified to accommodate their feedback.

With Active Specifications, everyone has what he wants.

• Business Analysts have a detailed description of the application plus a working model to verify that description
• Technical Teams have UML diagrams describing in a rigorous format the application to build, complemented by a textual description and a working prototype
• End-users have a functioning prototype that is easy for them to evaluate, thus allowing them to participate in the specification process.

The Specifications

Specifications built with the WSpecs tools have the following features.

• Overall plan:  A standard project development plan is provided that can be completed with the information that Business Analysts accrue during the search and discover phases of the WAGRAM method.
• Hyper-text glossary:  A glossary of terms and definitions used in the specifications, including synonym management.
• UML diagrams:  UML diagrams, especially class diagrams, to specify the structures manipulated by the application and their interdependencies.
• Functioning prototype:  A working prototype using real business data that can help the Business Analysts and the end-users validate the specifications, and can help the Technical Teams by serving as an example.
• Links:  Links between the text-base world and the technical definition world.
• Business rules:  Sophisticated business processes expressed with business components and the powerful rule-based motor.
• Authorization system:  A plug-in component handling access rights to an application's business objects.
  

The Advantage

Using the WSpecs features of e-WAM has the following advantages.

• Communication:  WSpecs increases communication between Business Analysts and Development Teams.
• Validation:  Business Analysts and end-users validate the specifications before the application is built.
• Evolving specifications:  Because WSpecs favors the iterative approach, evolving specifications can be introduced painlessly .
• Complete specifications:  Having text-based specifications and having a working prototype allow Business Analysts to specify in detail the application to build.
• Consistent specifications:  Using the hyper-text glossary features of WSpecs plus the rigors of building a functioning prototype remove inconsistencies from the specifications.
• Development savings:  Because the specifications are more complete and are verified, expensive (in time and money) overall development costs are largely reduced.
• Easy to use:  The easy-to-use interface of WSpecs allows Business Analysts to master its capabilities quickly.