Need Vs Requirement

The topic of one of the IM sessions I had with my friends on the Chicago trip was "The Indian Software Industry". Well we were all trying to figure out what the future holds for the IT sector in India and how we can ensure it’s a rosy one. One of the points was that we have to move up the value chain :) (Doesn’t that sound so clichéd). Important is to know how can we do it. It did get me thinking and here's a point of view.

Till now we have been consumed with "Client Requirements" and fulfilling them on/before time. And in doing so making sure we provide them with the highest quality (minimum bugs/rework). Couple this with the low-cost and we have a winner. But the low-cost advantage is not going to stick with India for a long time to come. As the Indian economy grows stronger and the Rupee appreciates this would be less and less of a factor. Already organizations are exploring places like the South-Africa and Philippines, which in fact has prompted some of our IT-giants to open offices at these places. Wait till China catches up on English and then we would be scrambling for jobs as realized by the manufacturing industry in US.

I think we now need to move towards "Client Needs" and understand what exactly the business needs of our clients are and how we can help them fulfill those. This is how we may move from being a "Service Provider" meeting requirements to being a "Solution Provider" fulfilling business needs and helping business's stay competitive.

So next time you get some requirements don't just start on them blindly. Wait and ask yourself a couple of questions.

1. Why does he need this? Or does he really need this?
2. Is there a better way to implement the Business Need?

Try to understand the NEED....!!!