By Himanshu Sharma • 12/23/2024
The success or failure of any software and web application development is differentiated by one major factor, clarity in requirements. The Business Requirements phase is, therefore, the one phase before the creation of a Business Requirements Document (BRD), and this forms the foundation of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Omitting or inadequately tackling this phase could lead to delays in the project, blowing a budget, or creating solutions that do not meet the needs of users. I will further touch on the reasons this phase is important while providing real-life examples, statistics, and best practices.
The Business Requirements Phase is the first step in SDLC adopted by stakeholders, which can be business analysts or project managers, and end-users to define the objectives, scope, and functionality of a software/web application.
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Who are the stakeholders and end-users?
- What features and functionalities are required?
- What are the success criteria?
A Business Requirements Document is produced as the output of this phase and serves as a guideline for development teams to align business objectives and technical implementation.
A study by McKinsey found that 17% of IT projects go so badly that they threaten the existence of the company, and 47% of projects experience cost overruns. One major cause? Poor requirements gathering. Example- In 2013, HealthCare.gov, a website launched by the Affordable Care Act in the U.S., experienced severe failures due to various crashes and errors. An analysis after the fact revealed that the chief reason for the same was inadequate requirement gathering and testing, resulting in a cost overrun by almost $2 billion.
The BRD ensures that business teams, developers, designers, and testers share the same vision. Misalignment in expectations can lead to rework and frustration. Example - Take the case of a retail organization building an e-commerce website. The initial working of the team on the development side might be to work on payment gateway integration, while the market-approaching team would expect advanced product recommendation algorithms in place. Such differences can ruin the timelines.
Standish Group states that 70% of software features are never used. If the contents of the BRD are clear, they directly address what is relevant to the users. Real-Life Insight: Dropbox worked in its early stages on providing one solution: smooth file synchronization. That sole focus on the requirement limited any mission creep, and the company entered on a truly massive scale.
A BRD typically includes:
Executive Summary : High-level overview of the project.
Project Objectives : Goals and expected outcomes.
Scope : In-scope and out-of-scope items.
Requirements : Functional and non-functional requirements.
Stakeholders : Roles and responsibilities.
Constraints : Constraints:
Success Metrics : How success will be measured.
After the BRD is complete, it becomes the groundwork for future SDLC phases:
1. Design Phase: BRD serves as a guideline for UI and UX designers to build interfaces keeping the expectations of the user in mind. Example: In a healthcare app, BRD may specify the design elements ensuring compliance with HIPAA.
2. Development Phase: Developers understand what functionalities they are exactly building from the BRD. Example: The BRD states a multi-language feature where the developer may plan his/her codebase accordingly.
3. Testing Phase: Test cases are pulled out from the BRD to verify if software satisfies the set requirements. Example: The BRD states a load capacity of 10,000 concurrent users, tests create a situation for this experience.
4. Deployment & Maintenance: The BRD's scope overview ensures that features to be rolled out post-launch do conform to what was originally intended.
1. Involve All Stakeholders: Discuss with end-users, business leaders, and technical teams.
2. Clearly and Concisely Say What You Need: Minimize ambiguity and confusion to avoid misinterpretation.
3. Visualize Your Information: Diagrams, flowcharts, and wireframes all help enhance understanding.
4. Validate and Approve: Confirm that all stakeholders sign off on the BRD before moving to the next stage.
Microsoft Word or Google Docs- The classical tool for document creation.
Jira or Confluence- Collaborative tool for gathering requirements.
Lucid chart- Designing process flows and diagrams.
Miro- Visual mapping of your ideas and alignment.
An investment of time and effort in the Business Requirements Phase is not just another best practice; it is a necessity. The comprehensive BRD, figuratively speaking, would be the guiding star of your software/web application development trajectory, which would make it easy, cost-effective, and allied to business goals. Shunyity Tech Solutions focuses on delivering the required software/web application solutions beginning with a thorough requirements phase. Our proven methodology guarantees that every feature we develop solves real business problems while rendering measurable value in return. Contact us today to see how our end-to-end development services can turn your vision into reality.
Top 10 Best Practices for Gathering Requirements
Case Study: Custom Web Application Development for Retail
Establishing sound understanding of the Business Requirements phase and building a bullet-proof BRD portrays the project in a holistic view, delivering software along with full-blown business solutions.
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