Telling Stories: A Short Path to Writing Better Software Requirements

By Ben Rinzler

From System Designers to Top Management, Everyone loves a good story Once upon a time, it was well understood that stories teach better than plain facts. Why then are most software requirements documents a baffling hodge-podge of diagrams, data dictionaries, and bullet points, held together by little more than a name and a staple? Telling Stories teaches you to combine proven standards of requirements analysis with the most ancient and effective tool for sharing information, the narrative. Telling Stories simplifies and refines the classic methods of Structured Analysis, providing organization, design, and old-fashioned writing advice. Whether you're just getting started or an experienced requirements writer, Telling Stories can help you turn dull, detailed material into an engaging, logical, and readable story, a story that can make the difference for your project and your career. Learn why readers believe and remember what they learn from stories Work with team members to gather content, tell their stories, and win their support Use stories to find every requirement Create diagrams that almost tell the story on their own (while looking clear and professional) Explain everything important about a process Use precise language to remove the ambiguity from requirements Write a forceful executive summary that stands on its own and sells a project to senior management Summarize often to keep the reader focused on key issues Structure the document so every part has a clear place and purpose

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470437006
• ISBN13: 9780470437001
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Great addition to your reference library

I found this book appeals to both the expert user and the novice. It helped refresh my knowledge of gathering and writing business requirements I have not used in a while. The novice user is given clear and concise examples on how to document business processes. I would recommend it particularly for new technical writers or those looking to expand their technical writing reference library, or anyone who want to gain an understanding of the business requirements process.

This book saved my life!

A month into a new job, I was given two weeks to gather and write business requirements for software, something I'd never done before. Thank God for Telling Stories, which was clear, witty, and above all instructive. I followed Ben Rinzler's step-by-step instructions and produced a document that made the clients happy. If you are new to requirements or need a refresher, this book is a lifesaver!

Like a great college class, with a cool professor

"Telling Stories" offers the simple truth that people learn best through storytelling and that the best software requirements are plotted with this in mind. Having spent a good many years as a student, teacher, and technology writer myself, I appreciate a book that gets to the heart of communication and in the process makes me smile. Ben Rinzler is a great storyteller and his funny insights into the workings of the workplace, with all its communication challenges, ring true. There is a lot of material here, including a surprisingly broad survey of different informing disciplines (the work of Joe Williams is referenced, for example). Despite the quantity of material covered, it never feels like a plod and has lots of good visuals and examples all the way through. "Telling Stories" continues to be a good "go to" reference and it now lives on my desk at work, right between the computer and Strunk and White.