In 2000, we bought a green leather sofa. It was a great addition to the lobby of our office. It is a sectional that occupies about 81 square feet with a space in the middle for a square coffee table. The original requirements were for a sofa that would be a show piece in our reception area and comfortable to sit on or on the occasional Manitoba winter night a good spot to overnight at the office.
This sofa has gone on to influence choices for office space and location of said sofa because we couldn’t possibly leave this masterpiece behind. After all, the requirements had been set by a team and signed off by a sponsor.
We recently made a decision that invalidates the original requirements. The team members that participated in the original decision are mortified that the sofa might not survive the next set of requirements. It could be that the new requirements are for two or more very comfortable chairs that fit the space or if I am feeling really out there a space bed with a set of curtains. Whatever the end decision, the requirements have changed and the team has to accept that it is time to move on.
The nugget for today is “requirements are written for a specific point in time and to solve a specific problem. Hanging on the the original requirements like a fly to flypaper solves nothing. It is important to evaluate the new requirements and get on with solving the new problem.”
