Business requirements are a tool for documenting your business needs for driving higher value in your company.
Article outline :
Prerequisites
Overview
In Elements, you can raise and manage business requirements independently as well as in the context of the process diagrams, Salesforce org and ref models.
By default, any user (including free viewers) can raise requirements and collaborate on them using comments. However, in order to manage requirements through the full lifecycle, prioritise them in the release schedules and enrich them with user stories, you will need requirement manager permissions.
Raising & submitting requirements
By default, anyone can "Raise" a requirement. In the main application, select the "Changes" menu item and then click on "Add new" on the toolbar (all the way to the right at the top).
A new modal window will appear. Use it to specify your business requirement, i.e. the problem that requires solving, and how it might be implemented. Once you have provided all the necessary information, click "Create" at the bottom to finalize the requirement.
At this point a requirement is in "Being raised' status and this allows you to add any additional information, like notes, links, data tables, images, or even change the requirement details, in the right panel. When the status is changed, you will find it under "Active" tab.
Editing and enriching requirements
Through analysis of how the new requirement impacts the existing processes or technology, and by consulting with crucial stakeholders, you might discover that a requirement needs to be refined or enriched with additional information.
To edit a requirement and add additional information, you can either use the context menu by right-clicking on the target requirement in the grid, or open "Edit requirement" from the right-hand panel:
In order to attach additional information (images, URL links, rich text notes with solutions etc.) or to establish links to other processes activities or technology components, again right-click on a target requirement to access the context menu OR open the right panel by clicking on the blue arrow on the right:
Once you feel the requirement is ready, you can click "Change status" on either the right-hand panel, or by right-clicking on the requirement. Once submitted, only a requirement manager can manage the requirement.
Change grid behaviour
Change grid behaviour is covered in this support article.
Managing requirements
A requirement manager is responsible for assessing, consulting, and implementing the submitted requirements. They can edit it at any point during the cycle, specify actionable user stories for a requirement, and link it with process activities or model nodes.
The image below outlines the default business requirement lifecycle. The requirements with statuses: "Implemented", "Deleted", "Will not implement" and "Duplicate" will be put in the "Closed" category list, so you can concentrate on the ones requiring action.
Main Use Cases
Establishing High-level Goals: Business requirements are vital for outlining the overall vision and end objectives of a project. They help to define what the business needs to achieve and why it is crucial. For example, a business may require an ecommerce platform to enhance their online presence.
Prioritizing Features: Capturing these records helps in determining the priority of various features or components to be developed in the software. It can also help with roadmap planning and understanding the sequence in which the product features need to be developed and delivered.
Efficient planning and tracking: Grouping user stories under a business requirements helps in project planning and tracking. Teams can work on a collection of user stories that contribute to a single requirement, providing a clear roadmap and making progress easier to monitor. It can also help with versioning and release planning, as completion of a business requirement could denote a version or a significant release.
Enhanced Understandability: By grouping related user stories under a common business requirement or epic, teams can better understand the broader context and objectives of these stories. This structure enables the team to comprehend how individual tasks contribute to the overall product goals, thus improving decision-making and prioritizing capabilities.