Thanks everyone for your input. Since my original post we have looked at a couple of tools - iRise and Blueprint - that are nice, but maybe overkill for our shop. I will check out the tools suggested.
Again, thanks for all the input
Carl
Carl,
I'm curious as to how iRise will meet your needs. I thought iRis was more of a Prototyping tool. Am I wrong? Please share if you can.
Chris,
Sorry I took so long to reply. whe iRise demoed their tool for us that is where they focussed most of their attention. However, they claim to have to everything that Blueprint does and then some. We haven't played with the tool yet, so I hve not way of knowing how much more than a Prototyping tool it is. If I get my hands on a trial version or we go with it I will update this thread.
I hope the diagram below helps. This is a sample document flow that can be found in my e-Analyst Redbook Introduciton to Business Analysis and UML. I also have a complete set of templates. Here is the links to the books. http://www.echoicesolutions.com/Redbook.html
The Functional Spec is way too detailed for any client to be expected to read and understand...
Is the client a user of the system or understand the user's job? If so, what I've done with success is build a paper mockup of the system using UI elements as a way to show system functions. It's quick and easy and business people can understand a UI. You have them poke around on the paper UI and you act like the computer, putting new paper windows, dropdowns, etc. in front of the client as they navigate. So what you're doing is showing the client the functional specs in a way they understand. A big side benefit is that they can easily tell you what's wrong with the spec by having you change UI elements while going through the demo. Then take the mockup, plus any client changes, and use it to pull out the functional specs for developers.
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