[MUD-Dev] Analysis and specification - the dirty words of mud development?

[Greg Munt]

I've been on this list for over a year.

Throughout that period, the list's discussions have been biased towards
design. The logical conclusion of this, is that one or more of the
following is true:

	List members (read: mud developers) find analysis and requirements
specification so easy that they do not feel discussion of 	related issues
is warranted, or indeed relevant.

	List members do not carry out any requirements analysis, or none of
merit/worthy of discussion.

	List members are not interested in discussing these stages of development.

Many (I'd say 'all', but I can't allow myself to be that pessimistic) mud
developers that I know are not that at all, but, instead, are mud
implementors. Design is little more than an afterthought, so hopes of any
analysis being done are comedic, at best.

As a firm believer in the neccessity for QA procedures in *any* software
development, I am keen to discuss these previously untouched areas of
requirements analysis. My early forays into them are self-condemned as too
low-level, and having no commercial experience, I'd be interested in how
others have progressed with it (particularly on commercial projects).

My requirements thus far seem to be based around the tools which users will
use to satisfy their requirements, rather than specifying the requirements
themselves. The fact that there is no physical 'customer' is not helpful,
either.

Thoughts, help, suggestions appreciated.