Requirementswhether

Requirementswhether is a term in requirements engineering describing a decision-focused approach that concentrates on whether a proposed requirement should be included in a project. Unlike methods that focus on what to build, it emphasizes answering the essential "whether" question: is the requirement necessary and justified given goals and constraints? It is a neologism used to highlight decision quality in early project phases.

Process and methods: The process starts with a proposed requirement and inclusion criteria such as value, necessity, risk reduction, cost, feasibility, and dependencies. Analysts apply decision techniques—cost-benefit analysis, impact analysis, risk assessment, and stakeholder scoring—to decide to include, defer, modify, or reject. A requirement decision record documents rationale, alternatives, and the final decision. This approach is often paired with prioritization frameworks (e.g., MoSCoW) to convert decisions into backlog items.

Applications and benefits: Used in software development, product management, and systems engineering to curb scope creep and align deliverables with goals and constraints. By foregrounding the "whether" decision, teams gain clearer scope boundaries, better traceability to goals, and transparent trade-offs between value and cost.

Challenges: The method can be subjective and sensitive to stakeholder input, and decisions may shift with changing goals. Effective use requires clear criteria, governance, and maintainable decision records to avoid inconsistent inclusions or exclusions.