New Product Requirements

There are various sources for requirements gathering for a product or service. Obviously the most important source is the customer who will be using the product or service.

Another valuable source is the environment in which the product and customer will both be surrounded by. A list of the most relevant environments that a product manager or systems engineer should take a look at are:

1. Technological Environment
Presence of new inventions, innovation, methods, processes, materials to achieve new tasks or perform older one better, etc...

2. Economic Environment
The cyclical changes in local and global economies, inflation (prices rising/lower purchase power), recession (trade down/employment down), unemployment, depression (panic), recovery, prosperity (employment up/trade up), off-shoring, debt/savings levels, income distribution

3. Competitive Environment
The landscape of competing (monopoly, perfect, oligopoly, monopolistic), competitors status, etc...

4. Sociological Environment
Cultures, changes in industries, religion, subcultures (teens, seniors), crime rates, etc...

5. Political-Legal Environment
Legislation, regulations, PACs, wars, etc...

6. Demographic Environment
Age, gender, customs, location of residence, etc...

7. Natural Environment
Natural resources, raw materials, pollution, etc...

Astute system engineers should research all these environments. The level of research might differ from on environment area to another depending on the product/service being developed. In some cases other environments might be considered and some of those listed above ignored.

Needs - Wants - Demands

Just like a smart marketer, an astute systems engineer knows the difference between the three:

Needs - are basic requirements, like eating and going to the bathroom

Wants - are needs that become requirements for fulfilling basic needs, for example people want education to find a job, to make money to buy food to meet the basic need. Wants are shaped by the environment the client is in.

Demands are wants for specific products coupled with an ability to pay.

Marketers do not create needs. Needs already exist. People need to eat, move, dress and learn. Marketers only promote the idea that a burger, car, Jeans and private school will satisfy the client's needs, by highlighting the benefits the client will achieve using the product.

Systems Engineers Don't Only Engineer Technology Systems

That is true... Almost all industries and discplines need system engineers, simply due to the fact that everyone needs something.

Traditionally we are used to seeing systems engineers working in the defense sector to define requirements for the next state-of-the-art missle, or at a high-tech firm developing and trackign requirements for the seemless e-commerce application.

Masjids, churches and synagouges need system engineers to articulate the needs of their congregations, define priorities and ensure that requirements add value. Schools need to develop effiecient operational systems, retail stores need to streamline their sales, and the list goes on...

Just like the following list of items could be marketed.. they could also be system engineered...

Goods - Technology products, consumer products, commercial products, etc...

Services - B2B, B2C, C2C (yeah myspace, blogs, etc..), C2B (resume websites, etc..), professional, educational, security, etc... the list services never ends

Events - Yes events which are complex could require the art of engineering

Experiences - Ever heard of Opera Aida..

Persons - We can market persons, can we system engineer a person.. sure we can define requirements for that person to reach certain goals.. we call that also coaching, mentoring, training, and many other things ...

Places - Engineer a downtown...

Properties - Engineer the Pyramids

Organizations - Build a non-profit systematically.. yes that also is systems engineering

Information - Indeed.. that is what we call IT system engineers...

Ideas - System engineers make not only great inventors because of their holistic views and ability to identify gaps, but also.. great value initiators .. very similiar to marketing slogans..

"Everyone can benefit from a little System Engineering"
Ayman Nassar