Image ©  David Byrne.  Courtesy Pace/McGill galleries, NYC.

A critical phase of software systems envisioning and analysis is collecting requirements, and breaking them down to create the conceptual design for the system.

In the case of many new or startup companies, the knowledge or tools for implementing a sound requirements-engineering or systems-analysis methodology is simply nonexistent.

Sometimes, the best approach to a flagging software quality or software development project is to simply drop it.  Ever slipping schedules, budget potholes and political gridlock can often render a project too costly to continue both in real money and human terms, when considering its potential benefits.