Date Flaw Type

When writing a requirement or an instruction for a team to action, including a set date or time frame can often impact the quality of a product or output in a project.

A good requirement follows the INVEST principle, which describes a set of criteria against which a requirement is evaluated to determine its quality [1]. While omitting a specific date may go against traditional project planning, including one goes against the “N” in INVEST, which stands for Negotiable.

If we specify a timeline for the work, it presumes the precise scope is known, which is most often not the case. In instances where exact timelines can be applied (e.g. known manufacturing processes), then timeline management should be handled outside of requirements. This timeline management can take a variety of forms (e.g. Statement of Work milestones, roadmapping, production schedules), and it would be best to refer to those for consultation rather than forcing them into requirements for specific work items.

If a deadline is set that is at risk of not being met, the team is forced to make a decision about what to do. There are a number of possible next steps, such as cutting corners, working overtime, reducing features, refining the scope, or moving the deadline. Cutting corners lowers the quality of the product which could lead to expensive problems down the line.

A requirement for work is most often a problem to be solved by the work performed. Since the exact solution is usually unknown, it is best to allow for an adaptive approach to create the highest quality product, and the Product Owner is instead responsible for prioritizing work in order to accomplish it by a reasonable timeline.

Some examples of date formats that Requiremint will highlight are:

• Short date: 2022-11-23
• Long date: November 21, 2022
• Month and day: November 23
• Month and year: June 2022
• Standard: 11/12/2023
• Shorthand: Jun 12
• Reverse Shorthand: 12 Jun
• Numerical week(s): 20-week
• Text-based week(s): Ten weeks
• Time indicators: This quarter / Annually

By not using specific dates or time frames in requirements, the team is able to focus on continuously delivering a top-quality product, while the Product Owner ensures that the product is progressing in reasonable increments. If a deadline is critical, it's recommended for the Product Owner to prioritize the work necessary for that deadline outside of the requirement itself. If, however, the organization chooses to write deadlines into a requirement, the Date Flaws that are highlighted by Requiremint can be dismissed.

References

[1] “What does INVEST stand for?”, Agile Alliance, 26-Jul-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/invest/. [Accessed: 08-Feb-2023].