Information Management Newsletters recently posted an article by Tony Hotko entitled "The Evolving Skill Set of the Information Worker." The article explains how industry trends and the ripple effects the global financial crisis are changing the skills requirements for knowledge workers. The focus, according to Mr. Hotko, is shifting from technical aptitude to adding value via business knowledge and soft skills.

After reading Chris LaCroix’s blog entry on Requirements gathering (see Five Things Analysts Should Always Do To Ensure Success), I was reminded of a previous assignment where two things I had learned long ago were reinforced.  The first was a mantra preached by a senior Business Systems Analyst:  “You can never have too much detail in your requirements”.  The other was “A picture is still worth a thousand words”.  They both fit together into one statement:  Requirements must be communicated effectively, in a way that is easy for everyone to understand.