Purpose
Definition
This can be the user problem or background to the project. It involves a short description of the work context and the situation that triggered the development effort. It also can describe the work that the user wants to do with the delivered product.
Without this project definition there is a lack of justification and direction.
Questions to asked include:
- Is the user problem serious?
- Why does the user problem need to be solved?
Goals
The goals of a product should be concise and brief. They state the reason that the product will be developed and should answer the question: "What do we want the product for?"
There is a risk of the project purpose getting lost along the way. As the development effort heats up, and the customer and developers discover more and more what is possible, the system may wander away from the original goals. This is not good unless there is a deliberate act by the client to change the goals. It is a good idea to make the goals public, and periodically remind the developers of it, just as at the commencement of every product review session.
Example goals:
- "We want to be able to allow customers to buy goods over the internet";
- "We want to be able to provide exact travel directions".
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