Specification Document Automation: Specdoc.me

Over the years we have authored a large number of functional specification documents. These documents capture key business requirements, from web strategy formulation to, design, development and database needs.

Scoping and project definition has always been a somewhat grey area. For example we play all sorts of rolls in and around the topic including:

• Strategy setting which feeds into deliverables and project definition
• Converting briefs or requirements into specification documentation
• Authoring specification documents based on workshops and business requirements gathering
• Product / technology selection to satisfy requirements
• Vendor selection for solution provision based on responses to requirements or specification documents.

In all of this we (and our clients!) have been wishing for a way to speed up / shortcut the process. 

For large projects (by which I mean $100,000 plus) a thorough specification project cannot be avoided, but for smaller projects where there is a smaller number of critical feature and functional areas, and smaller margin for error automation is a genuine possibility.

Eventually we decided to put together a tool that largely automates the process of creating specification documents.

It works like this:

1. You set up an account
2. It presents a whole host of possible common functions that you might want
   1. Nicely categorised
   2. You say how critical the feature is
   3. You leave comments (for yourself and team)
   4. You don’t need to know in advance what you need!
   5. You don’t need to know what you don’t know!
3. Add less common features that you want but aren’t listed
   1. These fall straight into the structure and output
   2. Just like the common features
4. You work on it until you are finished
   1. From wherever you are
   2. Sign in and out as you need, take as long as you lie
   3. Review with whoever you need
5. When you are done – hit GO!
   1. It sends you a formally constructed Specification Document
   2. You are a star!

Why’s that good?

1. It will save you masses of time and effort (and therefore $$$)
2. You don’t need to know how to write a specification document
3. You don’t need to know all of the possible features
4. You can learn from others – what feature are other organisations using
5. Your projects will be lower risk – and have a greater chance of hitting expectations
6. It will accelerate your projects and their delivery
7. It generates checklists so you can better evaluate suppliers and technologies
8. It helps you to heard cats (suppliers and vendors), by giving them comprehensive documents to respond to
9. It will help keep suppliers honest – its all down in black and white
10. Saves you many $$$$ through all of this!

The SpecDoc tool is in testing now, and the first version will be released over the next few weeks on the topic of Specifying Web and dB projects for Associations.

First posted on cubed.me: http://cubed.me/specdoc-tool