What a Restaurant Can Teach You About Managing Changing Software Requirements
Using a vivid restaurant analogy, the article illustrates how original requirements, mid‑project changes, underestimated costs, indecisive features, and client pressure can lead to extensive rework, schedule delays, and chaotic development, highlighting essential product management strategies to handle evolving demands effectively.
Original Requirement
Customer: “I’d like a serving of Kung Pao Chicken!”
Chef: “Sure!”
———Original Requirement
Mid‑Project Requirement Change
Customer: “No meat in the dish.”
Chef: “How can I make it without meat?”
Customer: “Just omit the meat, everything else stays the same.”
Chef: “Alright, please wait.”
———Mid‑Project Requirement Change
Partial Refactor Due to Large Change
Chef: “I already cooked the meat!”
Waiter: “The customer insists; just pick the meat out.”
Chef: “Fine, but it’s a lot of work.”
———Partial Refactor
Underestimated Change Cost
Customer: “Can you add some tofu skin?”
Waiter: “That should be simple.”
———Underestimated Change Cost
New Requirement Introduces New Development Cost
Chef: “You ask for tofu skin halfway through? It needs to be soaked first, so the dish will be delayed.”
Waiter: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Chef: “How would I know you want tofu skin in Kung Pao Chicken?”
———New Development Cost
Feature Oscillation
Customer: “Add the meat back now.”
Waiter: “You just said no meat.”
Customer: “I changed my mind.”
———Feature Oscillation
Client Is Demanding ("The Client Is a Boss")
Chef: “You’re asking for meat after it’s already over‑cooked!”
Waiter: “What can I do? The client is the client.”
———Client Is a Boss
Change Leads to Schedule Delay
Customer: “Why is it taking so long?”
Waiter: “We’ll hurry.”
———Delay Caused by Changes
Developer vs. Middleman Conflict
Chef: “You keep adding new requests, I can’t keep up!”
Waiter: “Should we suggest a different dish?”
Chef: “If we change again I’ll quit!”
———Developer vs. Middleman PK
Weird Requests
Customer: “Can we replace tofu skin with garlic sprouts and add ketchup?”
Chef: “Garlic sprouts also need blanching, and ketchup in a hot dish? This is absurd.”
———Weird Requests
Final Showdown
Customer: “How much longer?”
Chef: “I’m ready to fight you.”
———Final Battle
Mapping
You = Customer
Waiter = Account Manager + Product Manager
Chef = Developer
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