Requirements Management Reality Check

OK so here’s the thing. I have recently been studying all things Girl Scouts, and as I refresh my memory of the Girl Scout Law, I started wondering what would happen if we really all followed it.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong,
and  responsible for what I say and do,

and to

respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place,
and  be a sister to every Girl Scout.

So what does this have to do with Requirements Management anyway?  There are times in my projects when I have invested hours in negotiating, documenting and declaring meeting ground rules.  This can be particularly an issue for those large, multi-day, “let’s-all-get-in-a-room-and-come-up-with-solutions” discussions.  I’m thinking for my next one, the Girl Scout Law covers it.

Let’s be real though, most of the time, we already follow these rules in our daily life.  Who doesn’t want to make the world a better place?  I think it is the combination of the qualities, the “and” part , that make me realize these would be good rules to follow in the context of a meeting.

I know what you are thinking,  “But I do follow these rules, honest, really, I’m honest!”  When I evaluate when I’m honest, I’m not sure that I am always honest and fair.  When the discussion becomes tense, I may have strong opinions, and lack the courage to voice them.  Many times I have to find the patience to be considerate and caring when steering the team out of the weeds and back to the topic.  For now, I know my weak areas lie in the “ands,” and so in my next meeting (and every day, if I am really trying to make the world a better place), I will be working on being more responsible for what I say and do.

SOUND OFF:  Are there rules from your past that would help bring clarity to your meetings?  Be friendly and helpful—tell us about them!