Features Matrix

Definition

A features matrix is the requirements work product produced during application development that documents the results of analyzing the desired features of an application.

Objectives

The typical objectives of a features matrix are to:

List the features of the application.
Document the associated attributes.

Benefits

The typical benefits of a features matrix are:

It helps to prioritize the application’s features (and later, its associated use cases).
It helps with estimating the associated efffort to implement the features.
It helps with performing risk management.
It is a basis for scheduling the releases by which time the associated features (and use cases) are to be delivered to the customer organization.
It is included in the features section of the application vision statement

The typical contents of a features matrix are:

Rows are Application Features
Columns are Associated Feature Attributes:
- Unique Feature Identifier
- Feature Name
- Criticality to Customer Organization and Users:
  - High: The feature is critical and must be included in current release of the application for the endeavor to be a success.
  - Medium: The feature is important and should be included in the current release of the application if time permits.
  - Low: The feature is useful, but will be deferred until a future release of the application.
- Estimated Risk to Implement
  - High: The feature involves an unusually high degree of risk to implement properly.
  - Medium: The feature involves an average amount of risk to implement properly.
  - Low: The feature involves only a small amount of risk to implement properly.
- Estimated Effort to Implement
  - High: The feature requires an unusually large of effort to implement properly.
  - Medium: The feature requires an average amount of effort to implement properly.
  - Low: The feature requires a smaller than average amount of effort to implement properly.
- Primary Roles using the Feature

Stakeholders

The typical stakeholders of a features matrix are:

Producers:
- Requirements Team collaborating with:
  - Customer Representative(s)
  - Marketing Representative(s)
  - User Representative(s)
  - Business Domain Experts (e.g., industry analysts)
Evaluators:
- Requirements Inspection Team
- Customer Organization, which inspects the content for correctness
Approvers:
Maintainer:
- Requirements Team
Users:
- Requirements Team, which uses it as a source of requirements.
- Project Team, which uses it to understand the application from a business, customer viewpoint.

Phases

A features matrix is typically produced during the following phases:

Business Strategy: Not Applicable
Construction: Not Applicable
Initiation: Completed
Construction: Maintained
Delivery: Maintained
Usage: Maintained
Retirement: Deleted or Archived

Preconditions

A features matrix can typically be started if the following preconditions hold:

The initiation phase is started.
The requirements team has been staffed and trained in application visioning.
Customer representatives, marketing representatives, user representatives, and business domain experts (e.g., industry analysts) are available to work with the requirements team to establish the application’s feature set.

Inputs

The typical inputs to a features matrix include:

Work Products:
Stakeholders:
- Customer Representatives
- Marketing Representatives
- User Representatives
- Business Domain Experts (e.g., industry analysts)

Guidelines

Criticality can be estimated many ways. One of the best is allowing the primary stakeholders a certain number of votes to cast for their favorite features.
Order the features first by criticality, second by risk within criticality, and third by effort within risk. This hierarchical ordering groups features together that are scheduled together when scheduling is done by criticality, risk, and effort.

Conventions

A features matrix is typically constrained by the following conventions:

Content and Format Standard
MS Word Template
XML DTD
Inspection Checklist

Examples

The following features matrix documents the features for a global Web-based marketplace bringing together private individuals and small companies to buy and sell all manner of items:

Feature	Criticality	Risk	Effort	Role(s)
7. Sale Registeration	High	High	High	Seller
10. Price Settlement (Auctions)	High	Medium	High	User
11. Buying and Selling Items	High	Medium	Medium	User
4. Item Location	High	Medium	Medium	Buyer
12. Fee Payment	High	Medium	Medium	User
6. Security Violation Notification	High	Medium	Low	Security Officer
9. Account Registration	High	Medium	Low	User
1. Financial Report Generation	High	Low	Medium	Accountant
15. User Inquiries	Medium	Medium	High	User, User Support Agent
3. Desire To Purchase Registration	Medium	Medium	Medium	Buyer
5. Security Report Generation	Medium	Low	Medium	Security Officer
13. Information Presentation	Medium	Low	Medium	User
14. Other User Evaluation	Medium	Low	Low	User
2. Fee Maintenance	Medium	Low	Low	Accountant
16. Account Information Maintenance	Medium	Low	Low	User
8. Seller Marketing	Low	Medium	High	Seller
19. User Sanctions	Low	Low	Medium	User Support Agent
17. Notification Registration	Low	Low	Low	User
18. User Restriction Maintenance	Low	Low	Low	User Support Agent