4 Benefits of a Technical Requirements Document
When you’re developing a product, it’s important to set yourself up for success at the very start of the project. At Alchemy Industrial, one of the key pieces of documentation we recommend producing for engineering projects is a technical requirements document.
The process of creating this document can be time-consuming, but its development is integral to product development and manufacturing. Over the next few months, we’ll publish a series of blogs designed to help you master the technical requirements document, beginning with the reasons to create one in the first place.
What Is a Technical Requirements Document?
A technical requirements document provides both customer and manufacturer with a technical understanding of the product. It establishes a foundation for the project, including budget, timeline, inter-team communications strategy, and risk management plan.
The document answers important questions about the product’s purpose and use, such as:
- Why are we implementing this system?
- What do we need this system to do?
- What benefits do we expect to get from the implementation?
- What changes can we make to increase productivity or enhance compliance?
With a solid technical requirements document in hand, the project team can confirm all project requirements before product development begins.
4 Benefits of a Technical Requirements Document
Here are four benefits of creating a technical requirements document:
1. Lower costs
When all parties are aligned on the project’s technical specifications and requirements, product development and manufacturing services are more efficient and cost-effective.
Explicit customer expectations are clearly defined, resulting in less development rework and reducing time and money spent on developing unneeded features. The document also states the customer’s definition of a defect and the threshold for defects, which minimizes the delivery of parts that aren’t up to customers’ standards.
2. Improve communication
Miscommunications can sow chaos in any manufacturing project, which in turn creates risk.
A technical requirements document reduces risk by clearly depicting the project’s requirements and outlining a communications plan for all stakeholders to follow. It keeps all parties aligned and on track to deliver the right things at the right times.
3. Increase levels of satisfaction
In clarifying the project goals so that they are more measurable and achievable, a technical requirements document ensures higher levels of satisfaction among everyone involved—from the key stakeholders to the manufacturing services personnel working on the project to the end customer.
4. Support reshoring efforts
If you’re considering reshoring your product line, creating a technical requirements document is a great place to start.
Many of the critical details about your parts and products are likely overseas with your current manufacturer. Documenting that information gives you a physical record that can stay with your company forever, making it easier to bring production closer to home.
Stay tuned for the next installment in our technical requirements document series. In the meantime, if you need manufacturing services, request a quote today!
