As traditionally written, requirements are designed to produce conflict. It is an item for IT and “the business” (to use the common IT term) to negotiate when money and timelines take center stage. That they were hastily written in the first place only makes the conflict more likely. It also sets the designer up to be the fall guy for a poorly conceived system. Recognizing their inherently conflict-driving nature, the designer can work to diffuse the situation and get a seat at the table when the next project starts.