Reasons to Hire Requirements Engineer in Eastern Europe
Did you know that currently, over 63,000 specialists hold the IREB requirements engineering certification? But what are these experts, and what do they do?
Think about the software development process. How do you decide what to build, what technologies to choose, and what functions should your digital product perform? It’s precisely in this regard that a software requirements engineer will be handy to you.
Today’s article is a comprehensive look at requirements engineering. Read on to learn the responsibilities of experts in this niche and their necessary skills. Also, explore requirements specialist salaries worldwide in this post.
What Is Requirements Engineering, and Is It Popular in Eastern Europe?
When it comes to technology and software development services, people usually think of Silicon Valley. But there are other places rich in tech talents.
Take, for example, Eastern Europe. This region not only keeps up with the US in the number of qualified engineers, it probably excels in some cases. In particular, this is a great price-quality ratio you can find only in Eastern Europe.
This region is also about a developed tech ecosystem, high-quality technical education, and outstanding English skills. And yes, you can easily find any specialist here, including a professional requirements engineer.
So what is the requirement engineering in the first place? It’s the process that takes place before the actual design, development, testing, and support of a digital product begins. Its purpose is to create a comprehensive document with the software requirements specifications.
System requirements engineering involves studying the client’s needs, checking their viability, and creating input data for software development. As a result, the client receives clear information on functional, performance, design, user, operational, and other requirements for a digital product.
Software Requirements Engineering: Importance in the Early Project Stages and Process Overview
Requirements engineering is one of the most crucial stages of the software development life cycle. Why is it so significant?
Consider the following reasons:
- Invest in viable solutions. The main advantage that requirements engineers give you is the preliminary determination of the viability of software concepts and the search for the most profitable solutions for its creation.
- Create a high-quality digital product. Developers get the opportunity to build decent software because they are familiar with all the requirements and limitations even before the start of development.
- Build software efficiently. Since your team has pre-prepared documentation, the product development and design process can become more efficient. Moreover, you get the opportunity to reduce the time to market.
The requirements engineering process includes several primary activities. They are as follows:
- Feasibility study
- Requirements definition and analysis
- Requirements specification
- Requirements verification and validation
- Requirements management
As you see, requirements engineering includes some phases. Yet, it is not similar to the standard software development process. The main difference is that requirements engineering isn’t chronological.
Still, this process is regular and iterative. Requirements engineering activities are usually performed several times until the software requirements become clear.
Let’s dwell on each activity separately.
- Feasibility study. This process aims to determine the viability of requirements. This activity consists of several types: technical, operational, economic, legal, and scheduling feasibility. Each of the studies closely examines aspects of the proposed system and, as a result, validates or rejects the concepts.
- Requirements definition and analysis. This activity involves collecting all the requirements related to your software, their further classification, and prioritization.
- Requirements specification. This phase includes a detailed description of each project requirement. For example, it can describe a software feature, its importance to the product, and potential limitations you may face when implementing it.
- Requirements verification and validation. Verification aims to confirm that the product fits your pre-documented specifications. Validation checks whether your project meets stakeholders’ and customers’ requirements.
- Requirements management. This activity helps ensure product development goals are met by offering efficient strategies for specification review and management.
It’s roughly the essence of the Agile requirements engineering process.
What Are the Tasks and Responsibilities of Requirements Engineers?
You probably learned more about requirements engineering. You may have even realized that you need an expert in this niche. But before hiring sr. requirements engineer, discover the main tasks and responsibilities of such a specialist.
The key responsibilities of a requirements engineer are to perform all the activities we have listed above. It is the definition, analysis, specification, verification, validation, and management of requirements.
As part of all these activities, such specialists are involved in the following tasks:
- Studying the client’s requirements
- Conducting interviews and meetings with end users
- Defining requirements for a new digital product
- Setting the priority of software requirements
- Identifying inconsistencies in requirements
- Checking compliance with the instructions
- Preparing transparent and mandatory documentation
- Transferring the requirements for verification to the designated regulatory authorities
- Creating the requirements management strategy
- Participating in the design and development of the software presentation
- Creating software use cases to illustrate its functionality better
- Participating in the creation of wireframes and software design prototypes
- Testing and verifying requirements
- Cooperating with quality assurance specialists, developers, and designers
These are only the primary tasks that the requirements engineer will potentially perform. But duties may vary depending on your niche and type of software. For example, for more specific tasks, you can involve the following specialists:
- Business requirements engineer to check the business goals and requirements of your company.
- Database requirements engineer to work with database specifications.
Hard and Soft Skills That Requirements Engineers Should Have
Other things regarding requirements engineers IT staffing services that you should pay attention to are hard and soft skills.
Let’s start with hard skills, which in particular are the following:
- Technical skills. In particular, these may include knowledge of such technologies as CSS, HTML, and SQL. Such experts must also be well-versed in code reviews.
- Analytical skills. Requirements engineering is a research process; thus, analytical abilities are of utmost importance. Your expert should be able to study the needs of end users, your stakeholders, etc., and then suggest viable solutions.
- Management skills. A product owner requirements engineer must also have this skill to effectively manage requirements and your project at all stages of its life cycle.
- Language skills. When hiring specialists from Eastern Europe, you should also find out what foreign languages they speak. In this regard, English is a must.
Let’s now look at some of the soft skills required for a requirements engineer:
- Communication skills. Your specialist should be able to convey information to team members in an approachable and friendly manner.
- Creativity. Such a skill will help the expert to find non-standard and effective solutions for your software.
- Attention to detail. Of course, the requirements engineer must carefully study your project’s characteristics to prepare clear documentation.
- Problem-solving skills. Such an expert should also be able to address the issues that may arise during the implementation of your project.
IREB: Requirements Engineer Certification Authority in Detail
Remember us mentioning IREB? It’s an abbreviation of the International Requirements Engineering Board. It is a non-profit organization that offers a certification scheme called the IREB Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering.
The scheme offers different certifications for various levels and purposes. They include:
- CPRE Basics
- Foundation Level
- RE@Agile
- Advanced Level
- Expert Level
Hiring even a level 1 requirements engineer who has passed the relevant IREB certification is much better than engaging a specialist without one. Certification is your opportunity to make sure of the expertise of your potential employee and a guarantee of his decent skills.
Software Requirements Engineer Salary Worldwide
As promised, we have prepared an overview of the requirements engineer salary in different countries for you. Learn more by checking the table below.
| Country | Hourly Rate | Monthly Rate |
| USA | $41 | $6,333 |
| UK | $30 | $4,895 |
| Germany | $40 | $6.898 |
| Netherlands | $36 | $6,272 |
| Ukraine | $35* | $4000* |
*Ukrainian salaries are provided based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research on the local job markets. All salaries are net and do not include the service fee (in case of hiring on a dedicated team model). The salaries are provided for comparison purposes and could be not entirely accurate. Contact us to know the exact cost of hiring a developer corresponding to the required parameters.
As you can see from the table above, salary rates for Ukrainian specialists are lower than in other countries. Thus, hiring in Eastern Europe is way more cost-effective.
Mobilunity Is Your Reliable Provider of Requirements Engineering Services in Eastern Europe
Mobilunity is your perfect option for collaboration if you aim for quality, flexibility, and productivity.
We have more than 12 years of experience in the tech market and numerous satisfied customers worldwide. In particular, we worked with such companies as Qrates, Byrd, XPLG, Buttonorder and Zenchef.
Our IT firm engages over 200,000 Ukrainian specialists proficient in requirements engineering, software development, project management consulting, QA, and other tech niches.
If you need requirements engineering services, our company offers two convenient hiring approaches: full-time dedicated employee (fixed monthly payment) or part-time consultant (hourly paid).
So don’t hesitate and contact us to leverage our many-year expertise for your projects.
Want to find a certified software requirements engineer in Eastern Europe? Talk to Mobilunity experts.
All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate NET numbers based on the research done by our in-house Recruitment Team. Please use these numbers as a guide for comparison purposes only and feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.
