How to create a business requirements document (BRD)
Share on socials
How to create a business requirements document (BRD)
Helen Jackson
26th December, 2023
7 min read
Helen Jackson
26th December, 2023
7 min read
Jump to Section
Jump to section
What is a business requirements document?
Why you need a business requirements document
How to create an effective business requirements document
Components of a business requirements document
For project success and intelligent decision-making, don’t start anything without a business requirements document.
Are you planning a new project? Don't start without learning how to create a business requirements document (BRD). If you want to skip ahead and just make one now, read our guide about Confluence macros to give you a head start in formatting your space.
For the new starters, a BRD is so important that if you get the perfect template, you can align stakeholders and streamline decision-making with such ease that you'll never look back. This article explores what's in a business requirements document and how to make a best-in-class document for your business.
What is a business requirements document?
A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a detailed document that provides all the requirements and specifications for a business project or process. Using a BRD, multiple teams and individuals can understand the roadmap and requirements of any project without prior knowledge.
The ultimate purpose of a BRD is to deliver complete clarity around a project, no matter what your level of understanding is. Without a good BRD, teams can work against each other, misunderstand project goals, or duplicate work.
Why you need a business requirements document
Typically, the role of a BRD is to improve project management, but you don't need to be a Project Manager to use one. Any business activity can involve multiple stakeholders; every project needs firm management to stay on track.
A BRD lays out the goals and aims of a project from the start, as well as the people who will be involved in it. It's a document designed to adapt and change as you get more information, and it should be something you refer to often.
Regardless of a project team member's seniority, technical skills or level of involvement, a BRD should be written clearly and logically to ensure anyone can see what the project requires.
Ensuring clarity and alignment within a team is its core benefit, but a BRD can also positively impact decision-making and project success by removing ambiguity.
Essentially, you need a BRD if you struggle to ensure a project launches with a clear scope or if projects launch too soon without meeting all their goals.
How to create an effective business requirements document
To craft a successful BRD, begin with a blank document or sheet of paper.
- Write down the project as you understand it, following the outline below in the Components of a BRD.
- Schedule individual time with the most apparent key stakeholders, ask for their input individually, or meet as a team.
- Identify discrepancies and gaps between the interviews or identify missing stakeholders.
- Arrange a follow-up meeting to cover new ground and highlight differing opinions to strengthen BRD.
- To ensure your BRD is written in clear and concise language, give a copy to a team member uninvolved in the project to get their take.
- Ensure the document is stored safely, editable, and referred to on an ongoing basis. Undertake regular reviews and revisions as the project evolves or new information emerges.
Components of a business requirements document
Don't scrimp on the time you allocate to complete a well-structured BRD. Here are the items you'll want to detail.
Project Overview: Start with a high-level project summary, providing a snapshot of the objectives and scope to show the project's purpose and ownership.
- Example: "Our goal is to create a mobile app for e-commerce that can sell our shoes anywhere in the world. Our top features will be…"
Stakeholder Analysis: Identify the key individuals or groups with an interest in the project and their needs, expectations, and influence on the project's success.
- Example: "Stakeholders include the Head of Marketing, IT Director, Head of UX and the CFO. The IT Director will influence technology selection, data security, and system integration decisions...”
Objectives: Add top-level goals and intended outcomes to ensure everyone understands what success looks like.
- Example: "The objective of the app is to increase online sales revenue by 20% within the following year.
Functional Requirements: Specify the features and capabilities of the project.
- Example: "The app must allow customers to make secure online payments." or “The new store will be staffed with 3 members at all times.”
Additional Quality Requirements: Quality requirements go beyond functionality and encompass performance, security, and scalability.
- Example:"The app must be secure and capable of supporting over 500 users without a significant drop in performance." or “The store should be capable of accommodating up to 100 customers at any given time.”
Assumptions and Constraints: What could affect the project's execution? Budget, time or team issues could hold you back.
- Example:"We have a fixed project budget that cannot be exceeded, which may represent a constraint."
Use Cases: Use cases are scenarios that describe the project's effects.
- Example: An image of a customer app journey through to completing a successful purchase would be an example of a use case for tech, as would a journey detailing a store security system or ‘customer flow’.
Acceptance Criteria: This will be well used, so spend time planning your acceptance criteria! It clearly defines the conditions that must be met to accept project delivery.
- Example:This approach avoids one team 'pushing' the project live when it's not considered complete. "The app must load product pages within 2 seconds." , “The store must safely hold 100 customers.”
Business requirements documents are indispensable in project management, but in any business, they can provide clarity during decision-making, offering a chance for alignment and a roadmap for project success. Create your own BRD template today!
Ready to take team insights to a new level?
If you don't have Forms for Confluence yet, now's a great time to try it!
Related Content
Read more
Written by
Helen Jackson
Content Writer
Helen is a freelance content writer specialising in Software as a Service (SaaS). She has a BA Hons degree in English, a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification, and over ten years of experience in content marketing.
LinkedIn →
LinkedIn →
Related Content
Read more