Understanding Requirements — Part 1
“Do question, even the basics!
You will be a fool for once!
If you don’t, you will be, for a lifetime.” – Himmilicious
Okay, here’s a little challenge for all of you BAs out there. Find someone who would have no idea what requirements are and explain the subject to them in as simple terms as possible. It’s not that easy, is it? And yet, this is something that we’d be expected to communicate on a daily basis to customers who potentially may not know or fully understand what a requirement is, or be especially clear how to express them unambiguously or accurately. Moreover, there are plenty of business analysts who are starting out (and a surprising number of more experienced BAs) who can’t confidently answer the question “What are requirements, and what have they got to do with me?” If you’re in that boat, fear not – this post is for you! Call it ‘Requirements 101’, if you will.
As business analysts, we will be expected to carry out many tasks and objectives during an assignment, but the one task that is common across any industry, organisation or business function is the identification, capture and management of requirements. This is a fundamental part of the role, and is a key deliverable for any BA. As this is a vast and complex subject, I can’t cover everything, so I’ll be aiming to give an overview of…
