Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.90 2019.05.01 Takahashi Minoru

Avoid doing business with IT vendors that frequently change staff or account managers

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


When building business systems,
a document called a “design specification” is often created.


A design document is a document that outlines how each function will be built and how they will be interconnected.


System design documents are not only useful for streamlining and refining the system development process,
but also serves as a valuable resource during system maintenance and feature expansion.


However, a design document cannot describe every aspect of the system.


Why was this feature created?
Whose needs does it address (whose inconvenience does it resolve)?
Why weren’t other methods viable?
Who managed and monitored this in the past, and how?
What was the process behind the draft specifications leading up to the final version? Why were the rejected proposals discarded?


The system itself is essentially a collection of computer programs.
However, if you trace it back to its origins, it stems from the thoughts of the president, employees, business partners,
and the thoughts of the engineers who designed the system,
and the outcomes of their discussions.


Since human factors cannot be fully represented through diagrams or language,
design documents expressed through diagrams and text cannot serve as a complete record of the system.


Whether or not design documents exist,
a system is made up of people.
A system where personnel change constantly will eventually fall into disrepair.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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