Software Engineering

9.1 
Embracing change
It is not possible to conduct a technology-laden project, such as software develop-
ment, believing that stakeholder requirements will not be altered from their origi-
nal articulation. Stakeholders will change their requirements for two fundamental 
reasons:
1. 
Their understanding of the software product will improve as they participate in 
the software development effort.
2. 
Their business or operational situation will change from the moment the soft-
ware development project is commissioned.
Change is inevitable and, therefore, must be addressed as an integral element of 
the development process. To accomplish this, two principles must be instituted to 
prepare the development team to properly contend with and manage the unavoid-
able onslaught of change proposals and requests. First, the project team must recog-
nize that time is an adversary, not an ally. Every change that is authorized devours 
resources and deters progress toward achieving project objectives. Second, because 
some changes must be authorized, the project structure and product architecture 
must be adaptable to realize a sophisticated product that will be delivered several 
years in the future.