Tips on Writing a Business Requirements Document (BRD)

What is a Business Requirement Document (BRD) and how to create it effectively?

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What is a Business Requirements Document?

A business requirements document (BRD) is a report containing every detail of a new project required to succeed. It documents the project objectives, what is expected throughout the project lifecycle, and what is required to accomplish the project. It answers how the project will be delivered and contains a prioritized list of features that a software, product, or service must provide.

A BRD clearly defines everything and highlights the result of the project. A good BRD should be so self-explanatory that it removes any ambiguity associated with the project work. In other words, it must be clear. Nobody is left guessing. Everything they need is listed in it. When a change request is introduced to the project, the BRD must be revised to reflect the change.

A BRD also outlines the business solutions for the project requirements. The main purpose of it is to show what the system will look like from a business perspective. It helps answer the question of what is needed for the business. It is necessary for the project, especially to deliver value and become the foundation of the project’s life cycle. The project team should be involved in creating the BRD. They will help to determine how to implement the delivery of the project and fulfill the business needs. Stakeholders are also involved and must agree on the plan before it is implemented.

What should be Included in a BRD?

A BRD is important to a project. It reduces the chances of misalignment between the project and the business requirements that might potentially make the project fail. It also connects the organization’s business goals with the project. It brings stakeholders and the team together and saves costs that accrue due to change requests, training, etc.

A BRD often includes:

1. Executive Summary

To begin creating a BRD, you need to make an executive summary that provides an overview of the document and the challenges faced by the business. You need to explain the issues and what the organization is trying to achieve to ensure everyone has the same perception. This section should be short, like an elevator pitch, summarizing the rest of the BRD. It usually starts with the problem that the document needs to solve or the needs it fulfills. And then, it outlines the recommended solution. In an executive summary, we also explain the solution’s value and end it with a conclusion about the importance of the work.

2. Project Objectives
A BRD describes the project’s goals and objectives and mentions what the work will achieve. The objective is to make an alignment between the project and the goals of the business. To simplify this product management roadmap and ensure it is succinct, you can use any effective format, for example, the Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) format.

3. Project Scope
A BRD outlines what is to be included in the project and what should be left out. By defining the project scope, we keep everyone on the same page and prevent scope creep. It means when your project expands outside of the boundaries you set for it and becomes hard to control. Details to outline in your project scope include Timeline, Budget, Deliverables, Project requirements, and Project team.

4. Business Requirements
Here you will list the business requirements or critical activities that must be completed to meet the organization’s objectives. The business requirements should meet both stakeholder and customer needs. It included the processes that must be completed, a piece of data that is needed for the process, or a business rule that governs that process and data.

5. Key Stakeholders
The next step in creating a BRD is identifying and listing the key stakeholders in the project. Once you have the lists, assign roles and responsibilities to each. The lists might include the people outside your department. Therefore, you need to define their role clearly for the success of the project. The information must be distributed well in order to let everyone know what is expected from them during the project. You can even use this section to assign tasks.

6. Project Constraints
Mention the details of the project phases in this section. Carefully outline what is required and when. Create timelines and account for dependencies, as well as unforeseen challenges that could arise.

7. Cost-Benefit Analysis
In the end, you also need to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether the costs associated with the project are worth the benefits you will get. This requires the associated costs of the project, such as upfront development costs, unexpected costs, future operating costs, and tangible and intangible costs. You will also need to figure out what benefits derive from the project.

Tips to Write a Business Requirements Document

1. Start with Thorough Requirements Gathering

Requirements gathering is the process of identifying all requirements necessary for the project. It means everything from the start to the end of the project. You will want to address the length of the project, who will be involved, and what risks are possible.

2. Differentiate between Business Requirements and Functional Requirements

Remember that the business requirements are what needs to be done, such as the project goals and why it is important for the organization. A functional requirement is how the process, is it a system or person, needs to work in order to achieve the project goals.

3. Use a Stakeholder Matrix

An important aspect of any business requirements document is identifying stakeholders. In fact, this should be done early in the process and a stakeholder matrix can help you do the analysis. It helps you to understand the needs and expectations of your stakeholders in terms of their power or influence and their level of interest in your project.

*Written by our Business Analyst, Yosafat Eferzon Hezron Rissy

References:

• https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-requirement-document
• https://www.wrike.com/blog/how-write-business-requirements-document/#Business-requirements-document-example-and-template
• https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/business-requirements-document
• https://document360.com/blog/business-requirement-document/
• https://asana.com/resources/business-requirements-document-template