How to Write Effective Business Requirements

Writing effective business requirements is a critical skill for subject matter experts who represent the business interests on an IT project and for business analysts. The challenge lies in defining business needs in the form of business requirements, stakeholder requirements, solution requirements, and transition requirements that other audiences will interpret as intended and use to design the solution.

This business analysis online training workshop provides a proven set of core business analysis techniques, methods and tricks to help business professionals create, clarify, and confirm business, stakeholder, solution, and transition requirements (i.e., meaning the kind of business requirements that the IT professionals need to do their job well).

Note: This instructor-led course delivered in two virtual sessions via the Internet covers the same content as the second day of our 3-day course, “How to Elicit (Gather), Write, and Analyze Business Requirements” which can be delivered live at your site.

1. Introduction to Requirements Writing

Writing Effective Business Requirements

The Problem with Natural Language Requirements

Initial Requirement Statements

Exercise: Initial Requirement Statements

2. Writing Good 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

Example: Creating Complete Sentence Requirements

Rules for a “Good” Requirement Sentence

Think “What”, Not “How”

Example: Finding the What versus the How

Rules Review

Exercise: Applying the Rules

3. Writing Understandable Requirements

Removing Requirements Ambiguity

Rules for an “Understandable” Requirement Sentence

Relevance Increases Comprehension

Ambiguity Ruins Requirements

Increasing Understandability

Rules for a “Good” Requirement Sentence

Peer Reviews Clarify Requirements

Clarifying Mutual Understanding

Revise, Define and Clarify Your Requirements

Exercise: Desk-Checking

Verifying Understandability

Rules Review

Clarifying Requirements

4. Writing Measurable Requirements

Writing Measurable Requirement Statements

Rules for a “Testable” Requirement Sentence

To Test or Not to Test is NOT the Question

Requirements Testability

Effective Requirements are Verifiable or Testable

Confirming Performance Requirements

Understanding Performance Requirements

Clarifying Quantitative Performance Requirements

Quantifying Qualitative Requirements

Testing Performance Components

Exercise: Testing Performance Components

• Apply the five rules of a "good" requirement sentence
• Translate business needs into well-structured business requirement statements
• Write business requirements that express the what and avoid the how
• Discuss the problem with language based requirements
• Verify the "testability" of a requirement
• Discuss the difficulties in writing quality, "-ability" requirements (ex: reliability)
• Distinguish qualitative from quantitative performance factors

The pdf file will open or has opened in a new window.

 

Web-based	Sep 14 - 15, 2010	Internet	$495	Register
Web-based	Nov 9 - 10, 2010	Internet	$495	Register
Web-based	Jan 11 - 12, 2011	Internet	$495	Register
Check All Scheduled Business Analysis Training Courses

Name*
Email*
Telephone*
Company*
Questions / additional comments: