Writing Effective Business Requirements
for Business Analysts and Subject Matter Experts

This nugget (Rules 1 - 3) helps you express your business need in a simple, complete, well-structured, and focused business requirement statement. Your business requirement is not well-expressed until you as the subject matter expert or business analyst truly understand what it is that you need or want the technology to deliver. These techniques will help you write better business requirements from the get-go.

What Is the Value of Good Requirements
What Are the Benefits of High-Quality Requirements?
The Uncertainty Principle
A Question File
Interaction: A Problem with Language
The "Real" Problem With Natural Language
Expressing Requirements
Rules for a "Good" Requirement Sentence
Reducing Complexity Increases Comprehension
A Complete Sentence Forces a Complete Thought
Structured Requirement Statements
Interaction: Complete Sentence Requirements
Rules for a "Business" Requirement Sentence
Think "What", Not "How"
Interaction: Finding the What versus the How
Rules for a Relevant Requirement Sentence
Interaction: Applying the "What — Not How" Rule
Focused Requirements
Scoped Requirements
The Project Scope Statement
Identifying Relevant Requirement Sentences
Interaction: Determining Requirement Relevance
Rules Review
Interaction: Final Exam

Find missing requirements using the components of a business information system
Reduce the number of wrong assumptions by using a question file
Translate business needs into well-structured business requirement statements
Write business requirements that express the what and avoid the how
Confirm that your requirements are in scope for your project
Apply 3 simple rules to create component-focused business requirements

90+ minutes

Business Process Managers
Business Process Users
Business System Analysts
Subject Matter Experts
System Analysts
User liaison personnel
Anyone who would like to understand their customer’s needs