When embarking on a business project, clarity is key. A Business Requirements Document (BRD) serves as a blueprint, outlining the project’s goals and guiding stakeholders, investors, managers, and team members toward a shared vision.
What is A Business Requirement Document?
A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a formal document that defines and explains the objectives of a business project. It communicates the project’s goals to managers, investors, sponsors, stakeholders, and team members, demonstrating that it is feasible, actionable, and profitable.
What You Need to Know About Business Requirements Documents
A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is crucial for the success of any business project. It Ensures all stakeholders are aligned and informed.
What Does a BRD Do?
A BRD should cover three essential elements:
- Project Components: Detail every aspect of your project, from major sections to the smallest details.
- Predicted Outcomes: Include the expected results of the project, such as costs and future company expectations.
- Key Participants: Identify all key participants, including stakeholders, personnel, and leaders.
How Does a BRD Differ From Other Requirements Documents?
Understanding the distinctions between various requirements documents is crucial for effective project management. Here’s how a Business Requirements Document (BRD) differs from other common types:
BRD (Business Requirements Document): Focuses on the “what” of the project. It outlines the project’s parameters, what is needed to complete it, and the desired outcomes. Essentially, it defines the goals and objectives of the business project.
FRD (Functional Requirements Document): Concentrates on the “how” of the project. It details how the project will be executed, including specific functionalities and processes needed to achieve the goals set out in the BRD. The BRD and FRD are complementary, with the BRD setting the vision and the FRD providing the roadmap to achieve it.
Product Requirements Document (PRD): Describes the design, purpose, capabilities, user base, and development schedule of a product. It is used to ensure that the product meets the needs of its users and aligns with the business objectives.
Technical Requirements Document (TRD): Focuses on the technological aspects of a project. It includes information on security, maintenance, industry or legal standards, and specific technical functions. TRDs are commonly used in fields like construction, software development, and other scientific areas to ensure all technical considerations are addressed.
Does Your Business Project Need a BRD?
Absolutely! Business Requirements Documents (BRDs) are essential for both current and future success in establishing business goals. A BRD should be created when starting projects with new or existing clients, seeking new contractors, implementing new technology, and more. It serves as your ticket to getting a project approved and acts as a compass during the execution process.
When done correctly, a BRD eliminates ambiguity from your project goals, making your project and team more efficient and effective. Additionally, a BRD contributes to any larger knowledge management system your business employs. Regardless of the project or industry, everyone can benefit from a BRD. After all, no one wants to waste valuable business resources.
How to Write a BRD
Writing a Business Requirements Document (BRD) requires clarity and a strong focus on motivating action. As a goal-oriented document, it should use confident, straightforward language that is easily understandable. Begin by organizing your BRD with clearly labeled subsections to facilitate easy navigation. If the document is lengthy, include a table of contents to enhance accessibility. Avoid vague references to past projects or insider knowledge—assume your reader is approaching the document with a fresh perspective.
Incorporate visuals such as images, diagrams, graphs, and charts to help your stakeholders understand complex ideas. If your business has a style guide or specific branding conventions, ensure these standards are integrated into your BRD. This professionalism enhances readability and appeals directly to your primary audience: stakeholders, sponsors, and managers.
What Should You Consider Before Writing a BRD?
Step 1 – Assemble a Team
Gather a diverse technical writing team. Include a business analyst, project staff, stakeholders, business partners, and technical writers. Each member brings unique insights and expertise, contributing to a well-rounded document.
Step 2 – Define Goals
Clearly define the goals of both the project and the BRD. Ensure everyone understands the solution the project aims to provide and how the BRD will communicate this information.
Step 3 – Gather Insights
Collect relevant insights from all project participants through interviews, surveys, and brainstorming sessions. This helps you understand the specific needs and expectations at every project stage.
Step 4 – Organize Information
Organize the gathered information into manageable sections—detail who will perform each task and when. Identify goals and expected outcomes for each phase of the project.
Step 5 – Translate into BRD
Once the preparation is complete, your team can translate this information into a comprehensive and practical BRD. Ensure the document is clear, concise, and accessible to all stakeholders.
What Does a BRD Consist Of?
A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a crucial blueprint for any project, outlining its essential components and ensuring everyone is on the same page. While each BRD is unique, they typically share the same core elements. Here’s a breakdown of the nine basic elements that make up most BRDs:
Executive Summary
The executive summary provides a high-level overview of the entire document. It should give readers a clear understanding of the main ideas from the very first page. Although it appears at the top, it’s best to write this section last to ensure it accurately reflects the content of the BRD.
Project Objectives
Project objectives outline the benchmarks and desired outcomes of the project. They should also explain how these goals align with the broader company objectives. Using the SMART system can help in drafting effective objectives:
- Specific: Clearly define the focus of the project.
- Measurable: Ensure you can track the project’s success.
- Attainable: Set realistic yet challenging goals.
- Relevant: Align objectives with the business’s needs and mission.
- Time-bound: Establish deadlines and checkpoints to maintain progress.
Needs Statement
The needs statement explains the necessity of the project to stakeholders, employees, vendors, and consumers. It clarifies the mission of the project and why it’s worth investing in. This ensures everyone understands the value and importance of the project, fostering a shared vision and goal.
Project Scope
The project scope sets boundaries. It defines what your project can and cannot achieve with the time and budget allotted. For example, if your project requires a mail advertising campaign, specify how many ads to print and how many people you aim to send them to. Defining the scope helps manage expectations and prevents overspending.
Requirements
Get specific in your requirements section. This is where you can document the minutiae of your project. Identify the materials, technology, facilities, staff, and external resources you need. You can also break down the project into categories. For instance, if you are designing a website, you might group requirements into technical and writing categories to better delegate tasks. Consider ranking your requirements based on their importance in allocating resources effectively.
Key Stakeholders
Identify the key players in your project, detailing their roles and expectations. Ensure they provide all necessary resources. If additional stakeholders are needed, include them here. Key stakeholders might consist of:
- Project Sponsors: Provide financial support and strategic direction.
- Project Team Members: Execute tasks and contribute expertise.
- Clients or End-Users: Offer feedback and validate project outcomes.
- Regulatory Bodies: Ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
Timeline and Measurement System
To effectively manage your project, it’s crucial to outline the key phases, deadlines, and meetings. This includes establishing a system for measuring progress to keep everyone informed. Your timeline should also accommodate documentation. Consider incorporating significant milestones, pivotal points in the project timeline, and progress metrics, which are tools to measure and report on progress. Additionally, schedule regular review points to evaluate and adjust the project plan as needed.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Demonstrate that your project will yield a return on investment, a crucial step for securing investors. Highlight the financial viability of your project by providing:
- Projected Revenue Statements: Expected income from the project.
- Bank Statements and Funding Sources: Proof of financial stability.
- Cost Estimates: Detailed breakdown of expected expenses.
- Benefit Analysis: Quantify the benefits, both tangible and intangible, that the project will deliver.
Final Tips
- Leverage Past Documents: If your business has previous business requirements documents (BRDs), use them as references. Improve upon them where necessary.
- Starting Fresh: Creating your first BRD can be daunting. This framework will help you get started, but also look for templates specific to your industry or project type.
- Emphasize Research: Don’t underestimate the time and energy required for research. Initial research is one of the most crucial steps in creating a BRD.
- Iterative Process: A BRD may go through many iterations. As the project progresses, new challenges and opportunities will arise, requiring adjustments. Maintain a flexible mindset.
- Team Review: Before finalizing your BRD, have your team run it. This allows for proofreading, fact-checking, and addressing weaknesses or gaps before presenting it to managers or stakeholders.
- Document Management: Once complete, incorporate your BRD into your knowledge management system. This ensures it is easily accessible for your company’s current project participants and future BRD writers.
How Can EDC Help?
Whether you need a single technical writer for a brief project or a team of consultants to produce a complete line of documentation, we guarantee the quality of our work. Our clients benefit from working closely with an Engagement Manager from one of our 30 local offices throughout the project at no additional cost.
Ready to get started? Contact us at (800) 221-0093 or [email protected].