RE: Bi-directional traceability and docs

[Mailing List <mlist -at- ca -dot- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

On Behalf Of David Neeley sez:
   
> dan_roberts -at- adp -dot- com wrote: 
> 
> > We're going thru the pains of CMMi here, and one of the 
> objectives is to 
> > institute "bi-directal traceability", which, in a nutshell, 
> means that the 
> > spec points to the places in the code and doc that need to 
> change to meet 
> > a user req, and the code and the doc reflect the user req 
> that prompted a 
> > change. And my group here has been asked to consider 
> implementing this 
> > traceability in our doc 

[...]
> It sounds to me as if this "bi-directional traceability" is 
> the product of a rather officious type--maybe an 
> accountant--with little understanding of actual user 
> requirements. (For a prototype, see the "PHB" in Dilbert). 
>   
> David 

Bingo.  The appropriate response to such requests is:

"I/we assume that your 'need' for this unique feature 
is sufficient that you'll be glad to pay for the extra 
development and management costs that are needed to 
implement it. After all, it wouldn't be fair to burden 
all our other customers and potential customers (many of 
whom are sensitive to product pricing) with extra costs 
for something that they neither want nor need. Yes?"   

Kevin 
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