Bridge From Business Needs to Profitable Action With Business Requirements

In helping you get focused, get on track, and get back to profitable growth this blog is part 9 of a 12 part series providing more detail supporting the Business Change Flow presented on my web site, Center for Managing Change.

The previous blog in this series talked about 5 Tips For Creating A High-Quality User Acceptance Test. Now, let’s turn our attention to building a Bridge From Business Needs to Profitable Action With Business Requirements.

On your path to greater growth and profitability the Business Requirements Document (BRD) is an essential tool that both brings together all the business information needed to launch into creating the User Acceptance Test (a functional activity) and the change management project that designs and executes a plan bringing all the functionality to life and, thus, achieving the goals of the Business Plan.

This is the document where a handoff occurs between the business functions and the Process and Project people responsible for plan implementation and the creation of the desired solutions. It is the foundation for the planning, scheduling, and resource allocations needed to bring about the needed changes.

Said another way, the BRD states the requirements for meeting Business Plan goals in a technically-neutral manner. It serves as the basis for the technically-specific work that needs to be designed and implemented to actually reach the goals.

To be clear, when saying “technically-specific” more is involved than nuts-and-bolts creation of a product or lines of code. It includes any activity that creates measurable results from which decisions can be made. For example, running personality assessments on individuals within the company and using the results to run team-building exercises needed to get through necessary changes is an example of technically-specific activities. It’s not all nuts-and-bolts or lines of code.

By putting a good BRD together a key, common, major mistake is avoided: the rush to start designing before business needs are identified, validated, and organized in a way that when changes are implemented the company will be on its way to growth and profitability.

Solid Business Requirements are created by executing a credible, realistic Requirements Work Plan. To learn more read the next blog in this series, 2 Key Steps Building A Requirements Work Plan To Implement Your Vision.

Also, for more information regarding change management and how you can get your arms around it download my free e-book, Mindset – 5 Simple Ways To Look At Complex Problems.