Excellent requirements are no coincidence

The greatest leverage for the success of any digitization project lies at the very beginning—in clear, mutually supported requirements. By consciously shaping this phase, you create clarity for everyone involved, comparable offers, and sound decisions. In early October 2026, I became only the tenth person worldwide to receive the CPRE Expert certification, the highest level of the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) program. In this post, I will share what this journey involves, how clients benefit, and why professional development at adesso Schweiz AG is never just an end in itself.

The greatest leverage for the success of any digitization project lies at the very beginning—in clear, mutually supported requirements. By consciously shaping this phase, you create clarity for everyone involved, comparable offers, and sound decisions. In early October 2026, I became only the tenth person worldwide to receive the CPRE Expert certification, the highest level of the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) program. In this post, I will share what this journey involves, how clients benefit, and why professional development at adesso Schweiz AG is never just an end in itself.

Whether a canton is replacing a business application, a federal office is rethinking a process, or a hospital is modernizing its system landscape, the course is set early on. The scope for design is greatest—and course corrections are least expensive—during the phase when goals, framework conditions, and requirements are being developed. Requirements Engineering is therefore much more than just writing down a wish list. It builds a shared understanding between business departments, IT, and management, makes goals verifiable, and translates a vision into concrete, actionable requirements.

Especially in the public sector, good Requirements Engineering opens up additional opportunities. Precise, solution-neutral requirements make bids comparable, ensure vendor independence, and create a solid foundation for public tenders under Swiss procurement laws (BöB and VöB). Whether these opportunities are seized depends heavily on the experience and methodological expertise of the people doing the work.

Specifically, clients benefit in three ways during this early phase:

• Clarity: A shared vision gives direction to everyone involved, from the business department to executive management.
• Comparability: Clear requirements and evaluation criteria make bids objectively comparable and award decisions transparent.
• Investment security: What is resolved early on does not require expensive renegotiation later.

My journey began in 2020 with the Foundation Level. This was followed by the four Advanced Levels of the CPRE program: Elicitation, Requirements Modeling, Requirements Management, and RE@Agile. The final milestone is now the CPRE Expert. This is not based on a traditional exam alone, but on a multi-part assessment:

• Real-world case study: A complex, real-world problem where assessors ask in-depth questions about the approach, trade-offs, and justifications.
• Practical experience: A thorough review of my own Requirements Engineering experience. While the regulations require three years, I brought six years of experience to the table.
• Professional expertise: A general section that tests knowledge and competence across the entire breadth of the discipline.

This is exactly where the value of this certification lies for me. Expertise is not just claimed; it is verified by independent assessors based on actual project work. For clients, this is objective proof of quality. For me, it is the achievement of a goal I set for myself six years ago.

The preparation itself was a valuable learning process. Critically reflecting on six years of project work, questioning my own decisions, and justifying them before experienced experts sharpens your focus on what really matters. Today, I bring this ability to make conscious, well-founded decisions directly to my client engagements.

Two projects that have shaped my work in recent years show how this expertise pays off in practice.

SeaBag, Canton of Aargau: Procurement as an opportunity for design. The Department of Health and Social Affairs wanted to replace its system for public health permits with a modern business application. Instead of starting with a product list, we worked with subject matter experts in a series of workshops to define the target processes for each permit type, refining them with use cases, a state model, and a role concept. This resulted in a validated requirements catalog that served as the basis for a compliant public tender with transparent evaluation criteria. We then supported the canton from vendor selection through to the testing phase. This turned the procurement process into an opportunity to select the right solution. Looking back, Dr. Peter Weber, CDO in the Department's General Secretariat, describes entrusting the requirements gathering to a competent and objective specialist as a key success factor.

Federal Administration: From a blank slate to a clear vision. The starting point for redesigning a central business process for a federal office was completely different. There was no legacy system to replace, but rather a largely open solution space. Using a digital design approach, we first developed a shared vision and then derived the target processes and a solution concept at both the design and process levels. In such a situation, Requirements Engineering primarily means shaping a vision from many different perspectives that everyone understands and supports.

As different as these two projects were, both required choosing the right methodology for the situation, engaging stakeholders effectively, and providing clear, transparent justifications for decisions.

A journey like this cannot be made alone. adesso Schweiz AG supported me with time and financial resources, but above all with the freedom to grow. At our company, you do not have to fight for professional development. The company welcomes commitment and actively encourages it. This is a long-standing tradition: adesso is an IREB Platinum Partner, and adesso Schweiz AG is also an official training provider. Excellent Requirements Engineering has been part of our quality standards for many years.

As a Team Lead, I pass this mindset on. I support my team members in their career development and ensure that knowledge is shared rather than kept in silos. As the IREB Ambassador for Switzerland, I am also active in the RE community, bringing practitioners together to share ideas. Ultimately, our clients benefit because they work with teams whose expertise is constantly growing and independently verified.

And to anyone starting out on this path, I want to encourage you. Every level of the CPRE program brings immediate value to your project work. The key is not how fast you progress, but that you keep going. To do that, you need an environment that supports this growth.

Excellent requirements are no coincidence. They are created where experience, methodological expertise, and a commitment to continuous professional development come together. For me, the CPRE Expert is a milestone, but not the end of the road. Requirements Engineering continues to evolve, and with it, the demands placed on us.

Are you planning a procurement project, replacing a business application, or starting a project from scratch? Let's talk about how you can make the most of your greatest leverage at the very beginning. And if you are passionate about Requirements Engineering yourself, you will find the space to grow at adesso Schweiz AG. I look forward to your questions, experiences, and comments.