Keynote 3

Summary form only given. The greatest challenges in practical requirements engineering are psychological and political rather than technical. The requirements engineer must be communicator, interpreter, facilitator, conciliator, negotiator, salesman and sometimes counsellor. As front-line representatives of IT projects, they are expected to lay the foundations for change management. As consultants internal or external they are measured against standards established by the major international consulting firms. Despite a general acknowledgment of the importance of these skills, many requirements engineers lack the inclination or encouragement to develop them. They may blame politics or personalities for project failure without assuming any responsibility on their own part. This presentation reviews and offers practical guidance on some of the critical "soft skills" for IT professionals: The consultancy relationship managing mutual expectations; Building empathy with the business; The different perspectives of professionals and managers; Getting user involvement; Clarifying roles and process; Laying the foundations for change; Dealing with difficult people; Special challenges for the academic consultant.