How do I write PIM requirements?

Good PIM requirements are testable, prioritised and derived from the data model and the target processes. A requirement such as "easy to use" cannot be tested, while "a product manager updates 500 products in one bulk import and receives a validation report" can.

PIMvendors groups requirements in 4 domains and cross-checks them against a checklist of 400+ requirements:

• Data model and quality (DM): product families, attributes, relations, variants and validation rules.
• Process and governance (PR): workflows, approvals, roles, completeness and audit trail.
• Integration and syndication (IN): ERP, commerce, DAM, marketplaces, data pools and standards.
• Platform and vendor (PL): deployment, security, performance, roadmap, partner network and pricing.

Write each requirement with an ID, an owner, a priority and an acceptance test. Keep must-haves limited, because a list where everything is critical gives vendors no reason to differentiate. PIMvendors estimate: a mid-sized selection ends with 150 to 250 requirements, with must-haves kept to a clear minority. The published PIMvendors checklist marks 86 of its 240 requirements, about 36 percent, as default musts.

Turn the must-haves into demo scenarios. Each scenario describes a real use case, the sample data and the expected result, so every vendor is tested on the same work.