Requirement gathering for a content management system

Question

This is my first time and I am not really sure what I should be probing for or emphasizing on in the requirement gathering phase. The project is to build a content management system. What should the outcome of the requirement gathering phase ideally be? I mean, should I arrive at requirement specification document or would this phase also involve creating POCs, demos may be etc.

Second part of my question is what are the key areas / questions that I have to look for in this phase? Besides, I also learned that there is a possibility an open source content management system could be used. If this is the case, I am guessing the project would only be about customizing the cms to fit our needs. So, how should I go about gathering requirements for such a project? Guys, I need some direction here as I am feeling a little lost right now.

Answer 1

Hi,

To be honest the answer for your questions might take a few pages.

I would recommend that during the requirements gathering phase you build a list of "Use Cases" with your customer/user. This will build a clear understanding of your users expectations from the system. This should be the output of the requirements stage.

As for POCs and Demos its a question of time and resources. The more you show the customer the happier he will be. Time is money.

If you must, try to find a balance between POCs/Demos of key features that need clarification and the amount of time that you invest.

As for your second question.

Content management is a huge area. I would recommend that you clarify exactly what your customer means when he says content management. Does he mean: Document Management Web Content Management, Collaboration, Records Management?

Take a look at the Alfresco Open source Content management system: http://www.alfresco.com/ We have used it at my work place and saved a lot of time with it.

Be happy, Enjoy life