Business Requirement Document (BRD) Tutorial and EXAMPLE

Summary

This tutorial by Dr. White from the Doc Squad offers a comprehensive guide to crafting an effective Business Requirements Document (BRD). It covers the BRD's definition, its audience, main components, best practices, and a sample document. The video emphasizes the importance of aligning business needs, setting clear goals and objectives, and managing expectations through a well-structured BRD, which serves as a foundation for detailed requirements and project success.

Takeaways

• 📝 A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a formal document that outlines high-level requirements, including business and stakeholder needs, and provides a basis for decision-making regarding scope, prioritization, and resources.
• 🎯 The primary audience for a BRD includes sponsors, senior executives, subject matter experts, marketing and sales teams, and external stakeholders who need a shared understanding of the project's business goals and objectives.
• 📚 The main components of a BRD encompass business requirements, stakeholder requirements, business process overview, scope and limitations, a glossary, an appendix, and approver sign-offs.
• 🔍 Business requirements describe the problem or opportunity, goals, objectives, and expected outcomes, focusing on high-level business needs and reasons for the project.
• 🎯 Business goals are long-term, ongoing states or conditions that the business seeks to achieve, while business objectives are quantifiable results expected from achieving these goals, often following the SMART criteria.
• 📈 Success metrics in a BRD are indicators measured to assess the factors with the greatest impact on the project's success, providing a clear understanding of the progress toward meeting objectives.
• 🛠 The scope section of a BRD defines the solution's boundaries, including new features and capabilities, and distinguishes between what is in scope and out of scope for the project.
• 👥 Stakeholder requirements in a BRD describe the needs of stakeholders or groups that must be met to fulfill the business requirements, without detailing functional or non-functional requirements.
• 📋 The supplemental sections of a BRD, such as the glossary and appendix, provide additional context, background information, or supporting details relevant to the business requirements.
• ✍️ Best practices for BRDs include documenting business requirements separately before including them in larger documents, ensuring alignment with business objectives, and managing expectations early in the project.
• 📑 An example BRD includes sections for problem statements, business goals, objectives, success metrics, scope, stakeholders, constraints, assumptions, dependencies, business process overview, and stakeholder requirements, culminating in a glossary, appendix, and approval signatures.

Q & A

What is a Business Requirements Document (BRD)?

A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a formal document that outlines high-level requirements, including business and stakeholder requirements. It describes the project rationale, scope, key stakeholders, and provides a basis for decision-making regarding scope, prioritization, and resources.

Who is the primary audience for the BRD?

The primary audience for the BRD includes the project sponsor, senior executives, subject matter experts, marketing and sales teams, and external stakeholders such as vendors and partners.

What are the main components of a BRD?

The main components of a BRD include business requirements, stakeholder requirements, business process overview, scope and limitations, glossary, appendix, and approvers and sign-off.

What is the difference between a problem statement and an opportunity statement in the context of a BRD?

A problem statement describes internal or external issues that cause damage to the organization and need to be resolved by the project. An opportunity statement outlines potential areas for growth or improvement in a particular area that the project aims to seize.

What are SMART criteria for business objectives?

SMART criteria for business objectives ensure that objectives are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Why is it important to document business requirements separately before including them in a larger document?

Documenting business requirements separately ensures focus on the right goals and objectives, prevents wasted effort on misaligned details, guides decision-making, and manages expectations early in the project.

What is the role of the solution scope in a BRD?

The solution scope defines the new features and capabilities that comprise the boundaries of the change and the characteristics of the solution. It includes what is in scope and out of scope for the project.

What are constraints, assumptions, and dependencies in the context of a BRD?

Constraints are influencing factors that cannot be changed and create limitations. Assumptions are considered true but unverified factors. Dependencies are components of the solution dependent on the completion of internal or external project factors.

How does the BRD help in managing project expectations?

The BRD helps manage expectations by providing a clear understanding of the expected outcomes. It addresses unrealistic expectations early and redirects the project team and stakeholders towards feasible goals.

What should be included in the approval and sign-off section of a BRD?

The approval and sign-off section should include the signatures of all stakeholders with decision-making authority, indicating their agreement with the requirements outlined in the BRD.