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The Requirements Experts
Inside Effective Business Requirements
Documentation
A deep dive into requirements documentation
Presented in association with:
Keith Ellis
Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Alliances
IAG Consulting
905 842 0123 kellis@iag.biz
Adrian Marchis
Publisher
ModernAnalyst.com
(818) 284-6800 adrian@ModernAnalyst.com
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The Requirements Experts
What are we going to Talk About?
• Some organizations get bad requirements
BY DESIGN
• You must be inflexible about certain kinds of requirements information
• LOTS and lots of examples
• An actionable framework
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About IAG:
12 Years of living requirements excellence:
– Completed over 1,200 requirements projects
– Worked with over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies in the last 10 years
– Trains over 1,200 business analysts annually
– Somewhat in excess of 700 clients using our methods
– 50 staff members all 100% focused on excellence in business requirements
– Annually invested 10% of our revenue in developing our methods, processes and techniques to assure that these are harmonized and industry best practices
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The Requirements Experts
• Know what material must be present in high quality business requirements documentation.
• See how documentation defects impact project performance.
• Learn how to simplify your strategy for documentation by focusing on the right information at the right time.
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Do you see this at your organization?
The Scenario
• Real business requirements doc sent to IT Project
Management Office produced after weeks of effort.
• Expectation was for PMO to provide solution alternatives, estimated cost and expected total work effort to deploy.
• PMO at this point is
REQUIRED by process to find and deliver a solution.
• Fortune 500 class company, multi-divisional, multi-million dollar project
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Question:
What is ‘Effective’ documentation?
Has Quality: Clear, Accurate, Complete
Is Useful: It serves the intended purpose and needs of intended audience
Is Efficient: Has all the needed information and none of the information that is unnecessary at this point in time …
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Example Structure of Business Requirements
Document (From Internet)
• Author (para)
• Review and Approval (names/dates)
• Scope (para)
• Overview and Objectives (para)
• Business justification (para)
• Business Requirements
(spreadsheet, flowchart, process model)
– Basic work/Business process (as
4.1.1, 4.1.2, etc ‘list’)
– Processes to be automated (list)
• Technical Requirements (list)
– Hardware (list)
– Software (configuration requirements)
• Usability requirements (list)
• Functional Requirements (list)
– Data Acquisition Requirements
– Data Analysis Requirements
– Data Output requirements
• Security authorization requirements
– Physical
– Logical
• Compliance requirements (Para – defined subsections)
• Operate & Use Requirements (geo distribution/system load stats/availability)
• Data Requirements
(“provide detailed description of data requirements (including data model) for the proposed computer solution”)
• Test Requirements (user acceptance test req)
• Glossary of Terms
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Corporate Governance
Project Management
Business Requirements
Scope (para)
Objectives (para)
Business justification (para)
BE CLEAR… what scope are you referring to?
Yup – this is absolutely necessary in a requirements doc
Get rid of this… this is info from the wrong process
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Not thinking about the Requirements process
Just put the document headings on a timeline to see the issue…
• Author (para)
• Overview & Objectives (para)
• Scope (para) from a (PM perspective)
• Scope – from BA perspective
• Functional requirements
(acquisition, analysis, output)
• Processes to be automated
• Logical Data
Model
• User Acceptance
Tests
• Technical Requirements (list)
• Hardware (list)
• Software (configuration requirements)
• Processes model
• High level information model
• General business rules
• Basic work/Business process
(High-level, what is being touched?)
What is ‘Effective’ documentation?
Has Quality: Clear, Accurate, Complete
Is Useful: It serves the intended purpose and needs of intended audience
Is Efficient: Has all the needed information and none of the information that is unnecessary at this point in time …
• Functional test cases
• Usability requirements
• Security
• Compliance
• ‘ilities’
(availability, scalability etc)
• Review & Approval
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Author (para)
• Review and Approval (names/dates)
• Scope (para)
• Overview and Objectives (para)
• Business justification (para)
• Business Requirements (spreadsheet, flowchart, process model)
– Basic work/Business process (as
4.1.1, 4.1.2, etc ‘list’)
– Processes to be automated (list)
• Technical Requirements (list)
– Hardware (list)
– Software (configuration requirements)
• Usability requirements (list)
Functional Requirements (list)
– Data Acquisition Requirements
– Data Analysis Requirements
– Data Output Requirements
Security authorization requirements
– Physical
– Logical
Compliance requirements (Para – defined subsections)
Operate & Use Requirements (geo distribution/system load stats/availability)
Data Requirements (“provide detailed description of data requirements (including data model) for the proposed computer solution”)
Test Requirements (user acceptance test req)
Glossary of Terms
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BIG Mistake #3
Missing CRITICAL Information
Let’s say this was a customer order management system…
1. Where do you define “what is a customer”
2. What are the attributes of customer?
3. What is the information flow underlying the process flow
4. Who is interacting with the system?
5. What variations exist for a process?
6. Where are the success conditions of your processes?
7. Where are business rules being captured?
8. What are the system and process interdependencies?
The use of non-standard terms makes it difficult to know where information should go
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Effect of Information Gaps on Probable
Success outcome
Project Success Rating if Requirements are Poor in 3 Areas of Critical Information
46.9%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
9.4%
5%
0%
Project is failure or almost failure
25.0%
Project is neither successful nor unsuccessful
18.8%
0.0%
Project is
Unqualified
Success
Projects with Poor Quality in these Three Areas
Source: IAG Business Analysis Benchmark, 2008
Three Critical Areas of
Information in Requirements
Documentation
• Uncover interdependencies
• Getting to unambiguous goals and objectives
• Documenting information required to support the process
Done improperly, a company’s efforts to improve documentation standards will sometimes
INCREASE failure rate…
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There has to be a better way…
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Success Criteria #1
Focus on Information that Affects
Project OUTCOME
Companies without
Acceptable Performance
46.9%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
9.4%
5%
0%
Project is failure or almost failure
25.0%
Project is neither successful nor unsuccessful
18.8%
0.0%
Project is
Unqualified
Success
Companies with
Acceptable Performance
46.3% 50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5% 0.0%
0%
Project is failure or almost failure
1.5%
Project is neither successful nor unsuccessful
38.8%
13.4%
Project is
Unqualified
Success
Projects with Poor Quality in these Three Areas When Companies Eliminate Poor Quality in these Three Areas
Three specific areas:
• Uncover interdependencies
• Getting to unambiguous goals and objectives
• Documenting information required to support the process
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Source: IAG Business Analysis Benchmark, 2008

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Success Criteria #2
Focus on the PROCESS of Understanding Development
Business Process Information Flow
Interdependency Business Rules
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Success Criteria #4
Take into account the USE of information
Business
Requirements
Document
Template
Build in-house
Iterative-Visual
Development
Large-Scale Custom
Development
Model-Driven Development
RFP-Outsource
Package Integration
System Enhancement
One or More
Degree of customization
MUST INCLUDE
…all information necessary to selection of path, or common to all paths
A show stopper in the requirements?
Integration to business partners
MUST NOT INCLUDE
…assumption of a particular path
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Success Criteria #5
Efficient for Stakeholders MAKES for Efficient Documentation
“What we just accomplished in 5 days would have normally taken us 5 or 6 months to complete, and we wouldn’t have been this accurate.”
J.B. AVP Commercial Systems, Hartford, CT
Top 25 North American P&C Insurer
"After reviewing at the Requirements Spec produced by IAG on our ebusiness project,
I cannot imagine it could get any better than that"
D.K., Vice President
Large Gaming Corporation
“This process was just fantastic. It is very thorough and we are extremely pleased with the results.“
J.L., Manager Human Resources Southwest Region,
Tulsa, OK
Global Integrated Financial Services Company
“We were all absolutely amazed at how much we accomplished in only a few days. No one felt we could achieve anything this productive in such a short time frame with 35 participants.”
C.S, Manager, Performance Support , Tampa, FL
One of the World’s Largest Banks
“This is the best process I’ve ever experienced. It forced us to think about and resolve issues to an incredible level of detail.”
P.McK., Executive, SW Region, Dallas, TX
Large North American Financial Institution
“I liked being able to come out of a session with a living document developed from a consensus. I had something tangible and definite to take forward.”
R.K., Manager Application Development, Dallas, TX
Leading North American Transportation Company
“We got so much more than we expected. We got a document that clearly outlines the business requirements. This is such a straightforward & complete document that it can be used to show a new employ how to do their job. It was amazing seeing your staff who did not know our business using this approach to draw out the information from business users with 15 and 20 years experience.”
L.I. Project Leader, Phoenix, AZ
Global Information Technology Equipment Manufacturer
“We were amazed at the level of detail drawn out by this Approach, especially considering the facilitator had no background in our business.”
S.M., Assistant Director – Business Marketing, Des Moines, IA
Top 100 Integrated Financial Services Company
“I was amazed we captured so much information in those few days. By the last day, we were very impressed how everything came together so well. This was an extremely comprehensive document.”
C.H., Manager Recruitment, Charlotte, NC
North American Top 10 Financial Services Company
“You exceeded our expectations. After using this approach, we all now realize that everyone benefits from spending more time on gathering requirements.
Nothing else could have made us realize this! We even enjoyed ourselves during the sessions.”
G. Nichols, Director Compensation & Benefits, Boca Raton, FL
National Insurance Standards Organization
"Never before have they had all of this information in one document! We are very pleased. This document is our new standard"
S.M., Director Application Development
Famous US Clothier
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The Requirements Experts
Implementing these 5 success factors…
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• Introduction
• Executive Summary
• Objectives
• Summary of Scope
• Issues
• Constraints/Assumptions/Risks
• Dependencies
• Project Team
• Functional Requirements
• Non-Functional Requirements
• Information Requirements
• Process Model
• Context Diagram
• for each business activity, describe:
• Use Case: Process flow,
Variations
• Business Rules
• Information flow
• Information Model
• Entity Relationship Diagram
• Data dictionary
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Documenting Interdependencies
Have a section for it
Have an issues list that captures them
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In the Process Description In the Data Description
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4) Summarize it
1) Look for the NOUNS 2) Record the flow in a process
3) DEFINE it
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Important Issue to Consider:
What is ‘Effective’ documentation?
Has Quality: Clear, Accurate, Complete
Is Useful: It serves the intended purpose and needs of intended audience
Is Efficient: Has all the needed information and none of the information that is unnecessary at this point in time …
© IAG Consulting 2008

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The Requirements Experts
• Requirements are first and foremost a process
• Design Quality, Usefulness and Efficiency into the process to get success
• Stick with standards that resonate for stakeholders
• Simplify, simplify, simplify…
• Execute with situational awareness
© IAG Consulting 2008

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The Requirements Experts
• Know what material must be present in high quality requirements documentation.
• See how documentation defects impact project performance.
• Learn how to simplify your strategy for documentation by focusing on the right information at the right time.
© IAG Consulting 2008

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The Requirements Experts
• 1:1 conversations about your projects
• Start leveraging the IAG assets to help you with your stakeholders
• Let us help you scope the business analysis effort
• Tell us about your ugly ducklings
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The Requirements Experts
Project Management Institute PDU Submission Information
Webinar Name: Inside Effective Business Requirements Documentation
Total PDU's : 1.0
PDU Program Reference Number: IAG802
PMI Registered Education Provider: IAG Consulting
PMI Registered Education Provider Number: 2858
CDU File Information
Category 2- Professional Development
Organization Information: Information Architecture Group (IAG)
Contact: Keith Ellis, 905-842-0123 x228
Activity: Inside Effective Business Requirements Documentation
IIBA ™ EEP: E003 (Information Architecture Group, Inc.)
Program ID No: Pre-approved
Beginning and ending dates: date of attendance
# of CDU’s Issued: 1
Thanks
Keith Ellis
Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Alliances
IAG Consulting
905 842 0123 kellis@iag.biz
Adrian Marchis
Publisher
ModernAnalyst.com
(818) 284-6800 adrian@ModernAnalyst.com
© IAG Consulting 2008