From Requirements to Reality: Aligning Technical Work with Business Vision
Most misfires in software aren’t caused by bad code. They’re caused by good code solving the wrong problem.
I once joined a project midstream where the dev team had already built out an entire data reconciliation system. It was technically solid—modular, clean, performant. But when I asked the product owner what business value it delivered, he blinked and said, “Honestly, I’m not sure they needed to build all of it.”
Turns out, the original request was for a report. A one-time export. Somehow, along the way, the team scoped and shipped a whole subsystem—without realizing no one had ever asked for it.
They weren't being careless. They were being thoughtful—but in isolation.
The Pattern
This is what happens when requirements turn into assumptions.
Developers are often handed vague directives—“support bulk processing,” “handle edge cases,” “make it robust”—and expected to interpret them into production software. But if those interpretations aren't grounded in real business outcomes, you risk building complexity that no one asked for (or wants to maintain).
Business stakeholders, meanwhile, often assume that more functionality equals more value—until the maintenance costs show up later.
Bridging this gap isn’t just about clearer specs. It’s about creating shared understanding early.
Practice and Process
Here’s what I recommend when trying to align tech work with business intent:
Don’t start with a feature list. Start with the outcome.
What does success look like outside the codebase?Ask “who cares?” for every requirement.
If no one can name a stakeholder who benefits, it’s not a requirement. It’s a guess.Preview before you build.
Share wireframes, flow diagrams, or mock outputs to confirm you're aiming at the right target.Challenge scope with curiosity, not defensiveness.
Sometimes saying “What if we didn’t build this?” is the most strategic contribution.
Alignment doesn’t happen automatically. It has to be created—through better questions, tighter feedback loops, and humility on both sides.
As consultants, architects, and team leads, we’re not just translators. We’re stewards of focus. When we help teams aim well, we reduce waste, build trust, and turn vague requirements into real results.
Let’s sit with that.
Need help aligning your software efforts to what actually matters in your business? That’s our favorite kind of work.
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