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Symptoms that you have known for a long time but rarely take seriously

Let's take off our rose-colored glasses for a moment and take an honest look at reality. Think about your last major development project. How many of the following points apply?

• The requirements came too late or were too unclear to start immediately, but the team started anyway. Finally, the delivery date is set.
• Developers, testers and product management had different ideas about the goal, which led to tasks being overturned several times.
• The design and implementation were worlds apart because the requirements were either too vague or far too technical.
• Customer or stakeholder feedback only came when the implementation was already well advanced, which led to expensive changes.
• Features were built because “they were in the specifications”, not because someone had checked whether they were really needed.
• And of course: the tiresome tangle of documents in which requirements, priorities and responsibilities got lost like socks in a washing machine.

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If you're honest, you'll recognize a few things here. This is not because you or your team are making mistakes. It's because the system in which you work encourages these mistakes. And the system is called: inadequate requirements management.

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The cause does not lie in the development, but before it

Most companies like to tinker with the technical implementation. Modern processes. Test automation. An agile approach. Tools for bug tracking, project management and, more recently, AI. All good and important, but only if the basis is right.

What many managers overlook: The real problems do not arise during implementation, but much earlier, namely when it comes to understanding what is to be developed in the first place.

If requirements are unclear, contradictory or incomplete, you can introduce as many meetings, checks and processes as you like; you will still miss the mark. And that costs a lot. Not only time and money, but also motivation, trust and innovative strength.

The tragic irony: although we know that poor requirements lead to massive waste, the topic of requirements management is still neglected in many companies. Why? Because it's not “sexy”. Because people think they can do without it. And because the pain is often only felt when it's too late.

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50% wasted effort is a reality

Perhaps “50% wasted effort” sounds exaggerated to you. However, this is not a provocation from the gut, but has been proven many times over by studies, project analyses and empirical values.

A large number of independent sources, including the Standish Group Chaos Report, figures from the IREB environment and our own project experience, repeatedly show that around half of the project effort is lost due to missing, unclear or changing requirements. In concrete terms, this means

• Functionalities are developed and later discarded.
• Misunderstandings lead to costly rework.
• Developers spend time interpreting specifications instead of implementing them.
• Teams work twice, once for the first version and then again for the correction.

And the best thing is that it doesn't happen on the sidelines, but at the heart of product development, every day, in every project. But it's hardly noticeable because it's easy to hide in the daily hustle and bustle.

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How to get the 50% back without squeezing your team

The solution is not more control or more pressure. On the contrary. The way to greater efficiency is through clarity, structure and professional requirements management. And that means

• Systematically recording, structuring and maintaining requirements. And using a real tool, not Word or Excel.
• Involve stakeholders at an early stage and in a targeted manner. And not just when there is a fire.
• Formulate requirements in a comprehensible and verifiable way so that everyone has the same understanding.
• Manage changes in a controlled and comprehensible manner instead of frantically “reworking” them.

What are the benefits? A common knowledge base. Fewer misunderstandings. Lower rework rates. Greater planning reliability. And above all: your team can concentrate on what really matters, good ideas for good products.

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Conclusion

You might be asking yourself: “Does that mean we're doing everything wrong?” No. But it does mean that you can get a lot better if you pull the biggest lever.

Professional requirements management is not a “nice-to-have”. It is the foundation of efficient product development. Ignoring it is a waste of effort. Mastering it gives you a strategic advantage.

And that is why the real question is not: Can we afford it?
But rather: How long can you afford the 50%?

If you want to find out how other development managers have already halved their costs without losing quality, then get in touch with us. We will show you how modern requirements management works today - pragmatically, efficiently and with real added value.

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