n the Queen loses hers while traveling the fast lane a little too close to the edge. So what's your personal role? Are you the manager or executive whose role is to approve a bright idea, or are you handing a bright idea to someone else to implement? Are you the subject matter expert-the knowledgeable and experienced coach driver taking an opportunity to clarify and polish a bright idea into a clearly defined statement of work? DEFINING BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS Business generally refers to a commercial or industrial establishment. Business also refers to the activities of an organization. Great differ- ences exist between General Motors, the Catholic Church, and the US Federal Government. For sure, their missions are not the same, but they all share a need for communications networks with somewhat different requirements. In recent years, corporate network is out; enter- prise network is in. Communications is now the domain of advertising, marketing, public relations, investor relations, and employee rela- tions. Telephone service and data networks have morphed into Tele- com. The Internet arrived on the scene and is now, to the great delight of its inventors, disrupting everything. Business communications requirements should address or respond to the needs of the business. Every organization, large, small, or in between, has a need to communicate internally among its people, often called "our most valuable asset," and externally with current and prospective customers and suppliers. Communications networks by whatever name have been influenced by computer software and lingo. Lots of computer programming is 6 DEFINING NETWORK APPLICATIONS done using the problem-solution model, wherein no significant pro- gramming activity is undertaken until a clear, definitive problem statement has been created. This influence or perhaps unfortunate adoption of a practice has lead to unfortunate situations where solutions are bought and paid for before it's discovered that no problem exists. Or, worse yet, a solution was bought to so