Business Analysis For Dummies

Chapter 5

Understanding What Requirements Truly Entail

In This Chapter

Distinguishing between requirements and needs

Crafting excellent requirements

Getting to the heart of the four core components of requirements

The difference between a requirement and a need is at the heart of a business analysis project, but it can be a little tricky to understand. This chapter explains this difference and then explores how you can create excellent requirements.

Defining Needs

A need is an unsatisfied goal or objective. The concept seems simple enough, but needs can be rather hazy and subjective things that are difficult to identify or define. That’s because what people say they need is often not what they really need; it’s typically a solution they’ve identified to serve their need.

For instance, maybe someone says, “I need clothes.” Perhaps he does. But why? Besides the fact that he may want new clothes, what’s the reason he needs clothes? If you as a business analyst (BA) were to ask him different questions in different ways, you could find out information that would help uncover the real need (without any covering, he’d be cold and naked; clothes help keep him warm and comfortable). Aha! ...