Business requirements are a tool for documenting your business needs for driving higher value in your company.

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.

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.

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

The change grid allows you to filter and sort requirements by any standard and custom field. You can also resize the column widths. The system will save set filters and column widths, so when you visit the change grid next time it will be exactly how you left it!

You can also import and export all requirements visible in the grid (based on applied filers) either in a CSV file (which only includes the standard fields) or an Excel file (which also includes the custom fields).  Read this article to learn more about importing and exporting requirements and stories.

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.

TIP The closed requirements end up in the closed section of the grid, which you can access at the top of the page.