It has become clear that an enormous number of engineering design errors originate in the requirements document; and fatigue, pressure, and distraction are all natural consequences of technical work.

Agreement on requirements engineering best practices is fiercely debated. Everyone has their own opinions, which differ widely. We’ve distilled the information from our research and interviews into this one insight-packed guide that we hope will settle some debates.

Our team has probed dozens of engineers and their requirements documents to create the ultimate list of 21 tips on how to write requirements documents that are a dream to work with.