top of page

WELCOME TO THE PRACTICAL 
SECTION FOR 
REQUIREMENT GATHERING/ MEETING PREPARATIONS

Once you have been officially assigned to a project, there are various activities you MUST conduct as a BA before you can successfully capture/ elicit and document your requirements.

Below is a step-by-step guide you could follow:

STEP 1:
A. You must be aware of all the documents you are required to produce. The document you could be asked to create could either be one or all of the following: the Scope of Work (SoW), a Business Requirement Document (BRD) of a couple of process flow diagrams to capture various user journeys).
B. You must be made aware of when each document above must be handed in (i.e know the date you are to get each document completed to be ready to be handed over to the developer).
C. You must know your Stakeholder List and or RACI Matrix.


All 3 key pieces of information above must be obtained/ provided to you during the 1st initial meeting from your direct report (either from the project manager or senior business analyst).

You are to also insist on/ request for any
project supporting document from the PM. These are mandatory documents you must obtain. These documents could either be one of the following: The Project Initiation Document (PID), Business Case, or Project Brief.

After this meeting, ensure you send an email to the PM that ensures you have clearly understood the documents you are required to produce as well as the timelines you are working with against each document.

'
' Hello xxx,

As discussed below are the set of documents I am to produce to deliver xxx project as well as the date each of these documents are to be ready.


Document 1: SoW 
Delivery Date: xxx/xxx/xxx

Document 2: Business Requirement Document
Delivery Date: xx/xx/xxxx

Document 3: Process Flow Diagrams
Delivery Date: xx/xx/xxxx''

Also, below is the stakeholder list for me to commence my Stakeholder management/ engagement with''.

Let me know if the above are correct or mis-understood.


Regards
John Doe


The above email is a sample which you can utlilise to ensure you have a re-confirmation of the type of document you are to produce as well as the stakeholder list.


 

STEP 2:
Commence your stakeholder management.
This is essentially the process where you get in touch with the stakeholders on the stakeholders list. Idea is to clarify from the stakeholders how best they would like to provide requirements to you (either through online communication tools such as zoom, teams/ GoogleMeets or for you to send an email with alist of questions and they provide responses which would the regarded as the requirements.

Once the requirement elicitation method has been agreed/ confirmed by the stakeholder, the next line of action would be to commence booking meetings in the stakeholders calendar.

You must call back the stakeholders to re-confirm if they are comfortable with the time you have booked in their calendars and ensure they accept all meeting invites from you


STEP 3:
Requirement Gathering Preparations.

After you have been able to confirm the attendant of your stakeholders, the next step will be for you to prepare a list of questions you intend asking your stakeholders. 

You are to decide what technique you feel comfortable utilising in getting your requirements during the requirement gathering session.


STEP 4
Requirement Capturing/ Documenting

The responses to the questions asked, during the requirement workshop/ meeting forms the requirements to be captured during the meeting. Before the meeting runs out, create some time to go over the answers you have captured (requirements) to ensure you have not mis-interpreted any requirement .Once you have captured the requirement during the requirement gathering session/ meeting/ workshop, you are to get back to your desk/ system and document the captured requirement into the requirements section of the BRD to produce the required document (BRD or a Requirement catalogue).

Ensure in the requirement section within the BRD, you are able to group each type of requirement based on its type i.e Functional Requirement, Non-Functional Requirement, Business Requirement, Regulatory Requirement as well as the applicable business rules if possible. 


STEP 5
Requirement refinement/ review/ approval with stakeholders

After you have completed creating the BRD or Requirement Catalogue Document, it is recommended you have a walkthrough/ review session with key stakeholders to ensure all requirements are captured, documented correctly, and there is no case of mis-representing any requirement. This is also to ensure that the stakeholders themselves have not missed out or forgotten to give you any requirement.

After clarifying all requirements, you must request for key stakeholders based on the stakeholders list to provide their approval.

Requirement approvals are received via emails from the key stakeholders. The reason for seeking approval from the key stakeholders is simply to verify that all requirement documented are all from the stakeholders and not from the Business Analyst.

Ensure the timeline to complete the requirements and the handing over to the developers stays on course. It is recommended you abstain from handing any document earlier that the agreed date even if you were able to complete the document on time. If you do complete any document/ deliverable earlier than the agreed time, endeavour to go over the document/ deliverable over and over again.

You must also notify the PM about the completion of the requirements document.

Take for instance you were required to produce a BRD which you are to hand in on the 23rd of the 3rd month, this means that by the 23rd of the 3rd month, your requirement must be ready available to be handed over to the developers.

Prior to this day, you must have conducted the requirements review session with stakeholders to review all documented requirements and afterwards gain the written consent/ approval from all key stakeholders via email prior to the 23rd of the 3rd month. 


STEP 6
Requirement clarification with the developers

After receiving all approvals from key stakeholders, you are to hand in the document to the developers on the stipulated day as agreed  by the PM.

It is recommended to request for a walkthrough session with the developers to go over the documented requirements so as to ensure the developers understand the documented requirements, can build/ provide solutions and have any query answered/ clarified by the BA before build/ configuration commences.

This activity/ meeting where the BA goes over all documented requirement and ensure the requirements are clear to the developers before the developers commences the build/ design of the project is very crucial. This activity eliminates the high chances of defects/ errors or bugs been identified by Test Analysts during testing phase.


STAEP
 

Requirement Gathering Techniques
Irrespective of any technique you decide to utilise during your requirement gathering session, always remember to keep it simple!


As you capture/ conduct the requirements meeting, remember that any requirement documented which is to be handed over to the developers must be:

  • Measurable

  • Specific

  • Testable

  • Traceable

  • Defined with sufficient details

  • Related to overall business need

    The common requirement gathering techniques / how you capture requirements from stakeholders are:

  • Brainstorming. The requirements elicitation process begins with brainstorming

  • Focus Group

  • Interviews

  • Question & Answer sessions

  • Observation

  • Mind Mapping (This is the visual representation of what is been discussed)

  • MoSCoW Priortization  (Must Have, Should have, Could Have, Wouldn't Have)

If you have query with regards to any section documented above, kindly get in touch with DIIT Training UK Team.

Did 

you

know...

​​

''We are one of UKs Certified & Accredited IT Training

 

Institution?

 

You get your very own

IT CPD CERTIFICATE for completing ANY Programs You

 

Complete''

 

Now you know, what are you still waiting for? 


CLICK HERE 

to Join our next class

bottom of page