How to Elicit (Gather), Write, and Analyze Business Requirements

1. Introduction to Business Analysis

Who Needs Requirements, Anyway?

The Uncertainty Principle

The Fate Chart

A Problem with Language

A Question File

The Three C’s of Requirements Elicitation

2. Requirements Elicitation (Capture)

Who Do You Talk to about What?

Identifying Stakeholders

Using an Org chart

Exercise: Stakeholder Identification

Document Analysis

System Vision

Transcribed “Vision Statement” from CEO

Exercise: From Vision to Requirement Statements

Vision Statement Evaluation

Exercise: Structured Vision Statement

Problem Definition

Defining the Real Problem

Exercise: The Tunnel from the Twilight Zone

Aristotelian Problem/Symptom Reduction

Exercise: Aristotelian Problem Symptom Reduction Example

Rewriting a Problem Statement

Getting Written Problem Statements

Exercise: Writing Problem Statements

Exercise: Aristotelian Problem Symptom Reduction

Exercise (cont.): Problem Statements

From Problems to Requirements

Exercise: Getting Requirements from Problems

Interviewing Techniques

Exercise: Characteristics of a “Good” Interviewer

Interviewing Steps

Plan for the Interview

Perform the Interview

Follow Up the Interview

Exercise: Interviewing Some Other Ideas

Exercise: Using Interviewing Techniques

Email Interviews 10 Steps

Exercise: Face-to-Face Interview versus Email Interview

Workshop Sessions (groups)

Brainstorming Sessions

Focus Groups

User Groups

Exercise: The Need for Speed

Accelerated Workshop Sessions

Time Compression and Understanding

Using Surveys to Elicit Requirements

The Delphi Technique (Survey)

The Delphi Technique

Analysis by Walking Around (Site Visits)

Exercise: Analysis by Walking Around (site visits)

Walking Around Notational Technique

Requirements Elicitation Critical Questions

Critical Questions

10 Critical Questions

Applying the 10 Critical Questions

Considering Prototyping

Prototyping and Requirements

Four Levels of Prototyping

Prototyping & Ten Critical Questions

Business Event/Response Analysis

Business Events and Responses

Our Area of Interest

Business Events Defined

Business Event Naming Convention

Defining Business Events

Exercise: Finding Business Events

Identifying Project Scope

Exercise: Confirming Project Scope

Determining Event Responses

Event Response Naming Convention

Exercise: Documenting Business Events

Exercise: Event/Response Table (v 1.0)

Understanding Triggers

Non-Triggered Events

Scheduled Events

Exercise: Adding Event Triggers

Exercise: Event/Response Table (v 1.1)

Additional Event/Response Information

Event/Response Table (v 1.2)

3. Requirements Writing (Clarify)

Writing Effective Business Requirements

The Problem With Natural Language Requirements

Clarifying Requirements

Creating Requirement Statements

Business System Requirements

Rules for a “Good” Requirement Sentence

Reducing Complexity Increases Comprehension

A Complete Sentence Forces a Complete Thought

Structured Requirement Statements

Exercise: Creating Complete Sentence Requirements

Rules for a “Good” Requirement Sentence

Think “What”, Not “How”

Exercise: Finding the What versus the How

Rules Review

Exercise: Applying the Rules

Removing Requirements Ambiguity

Rules for an “Understandable” Requirement Sentence

Relevance Increases Comprehension

Confirming Project Scope

Exercise: Identifying Relevant Requirement Sentences

Exercise: Identifying Business Requirements

Ambiguity Ruins Requirements

Exercise: Search and Destroy Ambiguity

Increasing Understandability

Exercise: Writing Relevant Requirement Sentences

Rules for a “Good” Requirement Sentence

Peer Reviews Clarify Requirements

Clarifying Mutual Understanding

Revise, Define and Clarify Your Requirements

Exercise: Desk-Checking

Verifying Understandability

Exercise: Verifying Understanding

Rules Review

Clarifying Requirements

Writing Measurable Requirement Statements

Rules for a “Testable” Requirement Sentence

To Test Or Not To Test That is NOT the Question

Requirements Testability

Effective Requirements are Verifiable or Testable

The Insides of a Requirement Statement

Components of Requirements

Exercise: Requirements Types

Requirement Subtypes vs. the 10 Critical Questions

Testing Requirement Components

Finding Functional Requirements

Testing Functional Components

Exercise: Testing the Functional Components

Finding Rules and Constraining Requirements

Testing Rule and Constraint Components

Exercise: Testing Rule and Constraint Components

Finding Performance Requirements

Exercise: Resolving Subjective Components

Exercise: Decomposing a Requirement

Exercise: Clarifying for Decomposition

Purpose of Requirements Decomposition

Confirming Performance Requirements

Understanding Performance Requirements

Clarifying Quantitative Performance Requirements

Types of Quantitative Requirements

Exercise: Clarifying Quantitative Requirements

Quantifying Qualitative Requirements

Testing Performance Components

Exercise: Quantitative versus Qualitative

Exercise: Testing Performance Components

4. Requirements Analysis (Confirm)

Identifying Business Components

Exercise: Components of a Business System

Business Information Systems

Clarifying Business Requirements

Exercise: Grouping Requirements

Combining Requirements

Detailed Clarification

Rules for “Effective” Sets of Requirements

Identifying Inconsistent Requirements

Exercise: Identifying Inconsistent Requirements

Rules for “Effective” Sets of Requirements

Of Rules and Requirements

Business Rules Are

Exercise: Business Rules From WasteTheWaist

Rules vs. Requirements

Rules Relationships

The Rules Challenge

Exercise: Testing Rules

Requirements Prioritization

Rules for “Effective” Sets of Requirements

Need-based Requirements Prioritization

Release-based Requirements Prioritization

Confirming Business Requirements

Rules for “Effective” Sets of Requirements

Seeing What’s Not There

Confirming Completeness (The Requirements/Problem Matrix)

The Question File As a Completeness Check

Confirming Feasibilities

Identifying High Risk Requirements

Exercise: Reducing the High Risk Requirements

Possible High Risk Requirements Reduction Techniques

PASS = Project Audit Support Services

PASS = Project Audit Support Services (cont.)

PASS = Project Audit Support Services (cont.)

Exercise: Verifying Requirements Completeness

Requirements Tools and Templates

Requirement Documentation Template(s)

Tools Discussion

The Payback

3 - 3.5 days

Business System Analysts
Requirement Managers
System Analysts
Business Process Users
Business Process Managers
Business Analysts
Subject Matter Experts
User Liaison Personnel
Anyone involved in defining or deciphering business system requirements.

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Our instructors have extensive experience in applying these techniques on projects with business experts from a wide variety of fields.