Real Use Reveals Missing Product Requirements
Working software exposes missing permissions, awkward screens and workflow exceptions that an initial specification rarely captures.
Andy David + Pete Winn + dpcDeveloped from a conversation between Andy David, Pete Winn and dpc
A request for an application rarely contains enough information to determine the finished product. It may describe the purpose and leave out permissions, edge cases, terminology, data relationships and the sequence that makes a workflow feel correct, partly because some details only become visible after an early version exists.
Use exposes the gaps in the original description as awkward screens, missing states and sensible workflows that fail inside the business. In the conversation, Andy compares this discovery to building a desk that needs to be used and rebuilt before its spacing and movement feel right. Software develops through the same cycle of building, using and correcting.
The builder’s understanding of the requirements changes alongside the product, and real use tests the quality of every instruction given to the agent. Close review catches a flawed workflow before more features depend on it. The person using the software can then explain the mismatch and revise the requirements as each new version reveals more about the problem.
