The solution: An email client who gets cc:d of all emails docs and presentations, scans them and automatically or assisted by the manager or programmer - gets categorized with short meaningful titles into the companies requirements management tool (Team server or ClearCase or whatever).

Interface: Simply CC the ReqMail with any info on requirements including discussions. It would correspond with the manager/programmer on unclear issues, by asking questions in free text, creating a dialog which ends in correctly tagging all information within as Title, Task, Schedule, Assignee, Testing, Discussion, Severity, Priority, Rationale, Complexity etc.

A possible extra interface would be a link to a ReqMail website or intranet, where all requirements are sorted and unclear issues brought up with a regular web interface.

The problem: Customers and Managers hate explaining their requirements in any single way. They love to send emails, with change requests and new requirements. Then send an Excel and a Powerpoint. Then another email, then a doc, with 4 important points. And another excel that replaces the 1'st 2nd and fourth point above. Finally another email saying that we should start using a single place for all requirements.

Programmers on the other hand like to think they are working on something that the managers required, or that the clients wanted. (Best would be if it was something that clients needed, and which the managers would be happy to give if they had understood the client, but that type of work is rarely done).

Bottom line: I'll send an email about this idea, with some clarifications.
-- pashute, Feb 25 2009

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