Requirements Management & Communication

Chapter 4

Kathy ReedJune 4, 2013

IIBA Austin

CBAP Study Guide for theBusiness Analyst Body of Knowledge (BABOK) Version 2.0

4.1 RMC Input & Output Diagram

Task - STRPC

(4.1) S – Manage Solution Scope(4.2) T – Manage Requirements Traceability(4.3) R – Maintain Requirements for Re-use(4.4) P – Prepare Requirements Package(4.5) C – Communicate Requirements

4.1 Manage Solution Scope & Requirements

Purpose – Maintain consensus among key stakeholders regarding the overall solution scope & the requirements that will be implemented.

Input :1. Requirement Management Plan2. Solution Scope3. Stakeholder List, Roles, Responsibilities4. Stakeholder, Solution, Transition Requirements (Communicated or

Traced)

Output:1. Requirements - Approved

4.1 Manage Solution Scope & Requirements

Elements:◦ Solution Scope Management:

Assess stakeholder and solution requirements to ensure they are within solution scope.

Additional stakeholder requirements may be added if the solution can support. If not supported by solution scope, the BA needs to resolve.

◦ Conflict & Issue Management: Facilitate communication between stakeholders who are in conflict over

requirements. Conflicts must be resolved before requirements can be approved.

◦ Presenting Requirements for Review: Requirements are presented to Stakeholders formally (written/ structured

walkthrough) or informally (email).

◦ Approval: Ensure the stakeholders understand and accept the requirements. Maintain a record of the decision, parties involved, decision.

4.1 Manage Solution Scope & Requirements

Techniques:

◦ General Technique: (9.20) Problem Tracking – manage issues identified with requirements by

stakeholders and ensure they are resolved.

◦ Baselining: Once requirements are approved they are baselined. All future changes are

recorded, tracked and must follow change control process.

◦ Signoff: Signed off requirements formalizes the agreement from the stakeholder

stating that they requirements are accurate and complete. Typically requires a face to face review of the requirements

4.1 Manage Solution Scope & Requirements

Stakeholders:

◦ Domain SME◦ Implementation SME◦ Project Manager – responsible and accountable for the project scope. If

a requirement is not approved, they must define the risk to the project.◦ Sponsor

4.1 Manage Solution Scope & Requirements

A BA who is working on a project that employs a plan-driven approach is asked to add one new requirement that is outside the approved solution scope. Which one of the following actions is LEAST likely?

Select one:

◦ a. Facilitate communication and change the business analysis approach.

◦ b. Change the business analysis approach to be more change-driven.

◦ c. Amend the new requirements which are conflicting. ◦ d. Amend the approach which is change-driven.

Questions for Task 4.1

4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability

Purpose – Maintain relationships between business objectives, requirements, other deliverables, and solution components.

Input :1. Requirements – all requirements may be traced to other requirements.2. Requirements Management Plan – define how and whether traceability

is being performed.1. Identifies the tools to be used to support traceability2. Identifies the processes that will be used.

Output:1. Requirements – Traced. These have clear relationships to other

requirements within the solution scope.

4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability

Description: Requirements are related to other requirements, solution components and other artifacts, such as test cases.

It assist in the following:◦ Scope and change management◦ Risk management◦ Time management◦ Cost management◦ Communication management

Used to detect missing functionality

Supports the following◦ Impact Analysis◦ Change Management◦ Requirements Allocation

4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability

Elements: RIC◦ Relationship:

After organizing requirements, you need to record the dependencies. This helps in determining the sequence requirements are to be addressed.

Common relationships: Necessity – It makes sense to implement a particular requirement when a related requirement

is implemented. Unidirectional or bi-directional. Effort – When a requirement is easier to implement if a related requirement is implemented Subset – When a requirement is decomposed outcome of another requirement Cover – When a requirement includes the other requirement. Value – When including a requirement affects the desirability of a related requirement.

◦ Impact Analysis: Use to assess or evaluate the impact of change. When a requirement changes, its relationships to other requirements can be

viewed.

◦ Configuration Management: A special tool is needed to trace large numbers of requirements.

4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability

Techniques:

◦ Coverage Matrix: This is a table or spreadsheet used to manage tracing. Used when there are few requirements or when tracing is limited to high level

requirements.

Stakeholders:

◦ Implementation SME – they must be able to link the requirement to the solution components.

◦ Project Manager - ◦ Tester – they need to understand how and where the requirements are

implemented when creating test cases. They trace test cases to requirements.

4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability

Mary, while eliciting and analyzing the requirements figures, finds that if the preferred supplier list is set up in the new system, it will be easier during purchase activity, which fits the scope. What kind of requirements dependency is she looking at?

Select one:

◦ a. Necessity ◦ b. Effort ◦ c. Cover◦ d. Subset

Questions for Task 4.2

Janet is piloting requirements traceability on a few projects. Which is the best place for her to indicate this?

Select one:

◦ a. Requirements management plan ◦ b. Risk plan and management plan ◦ c. Requirement management & communication plan ◦ d. BA approach document

Questions for Task 4.2

4.3 Maintain Requirements for Re-Use

Purpose – To manage requirements following their implementation.

Input :1. Organizational Process Assets – Setting standards to determine when

and how requirements should be maintained for re-use.2. Requirements –

1. Re-use requirement – describe the use to the organization beyond the lifetime of the initiative.

2. Maintenance– describe the actual current state of an organization

Output:1. Requirements (Maintained and Reusable) -

4.3 Maintain Requirements for Re-Use

Elements: ◦ Ongoing Requirements:

Requirements an organizational unit must meet on a continuous basis. These include:

Contractual Obligations Quality Standards Service Level Agreement Business Rule Business Processes

◦ Satisfied Requirements: Maintaining requirements helps with enhancements and future system

changes.

4.3 Maintain Requirements for Re-Use

Techniques:

◦ None

Stakeholders:

◦ Business Analyst◦ Domain SME◦ Implementation SME

4.3 Maintain Requirements for Re-Use

Which is an output from Requirements Management & Communication?

Select one:

◦ a. Requirements (Approved). ◦ b. Requirements (Specified). ◦ c. Requirements (Documented). ◦ d. Requirements (Elicited).

Questions for Task 4.3

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Purpose – Structure requirements to ensure they are effectively communicated, understood, and useable by the stakeholders.

Input :1. Business Analysis Communication Plan – describes the stakeholder

groups, their communication plan and whether a single or multiple requirement package is required.

2. Organizational Process Assets – include templates that may be used to package requirements.

3. Requirements – BA must understand which requirement to include in each package.

4. Requirements Structure – the package should contain a consistent, cohesive and coherent set of requirements.

Output:1. Requirements Package – A document, presentation for stakeholder

review.

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Elements: 1. Work Products:

a document, collection of notes, or diagrams used by the BA during the requirements development process.

It may or may not become a deliverable. Used by the BA to share with the stakeholder to clarify requirements.

Examples: Meeting agendas and minutes Interview questions and notes Facilitation session agendas and notes Issue Log Work Plan, Status Reports Traceability Matrix

2. Deliverables: The output of the BA process that the analyst agreed to produce. It’s used as a basis for solution design and implementation.

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Elements: 1. Format:

The format may have been selected during the BA communication plan. A requirement package will likely be a combination of many formats. More than one requirement package may be created for the same project, in

order to present the material to convey a cohesive message. Each organization may have standards that the BA will follow. The requirement package must be complete if its created with the intent of

obtaining formal approval. Each package may have a table of contents

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Techniques:

1. Requirements Documentation – requirements are captured in a formal document. The most common types of requirement documents are:

1. Business Requirement Document2. Product Roadmap3. Software/System Requirement Specification (SRS)4. Supplementary Requirement Specification5. Vision Document

2. Requirements for Vendor Selection – If the potential solution is available from an outside source:

1. RFI – Request for Information Organization is open to a number of alternative solution and seeking information

2. RFQ – Request for Quote Seeks vendor to implement solution. Less formal than RFP

3. RFP – Request for Proposal Seeks vendor to implement solution

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Stakeholders:

◦ Domain SME & End User◦ Implementation SME◦ Project Manger◦ Regulators◦ Sponsor◦ Tester

4.4 Prepare Requirements Package

Sally is a business analyst in at a bank. She is currently working on a project that will transform the bank's customer relationship management (CRM) system. Based on her discussion with John, the project sponsor, she learns that there is enough in the current fiscal year budget for them to invest in a cloud CRM or build an in-house application using web methods. What is Sally most likely going to do next?

Select one:

◦ a. One possibility is to create an RFZ. ◦ b. One possibility is to create an RFI. ◦ c. One possibility is to create an RFP. ◦ d. Plan to define all requirements and then create an RFI.

Questions for Task 4.4

Which of the following depicts the difference between a work product and a deliverable?

Select one:◦ a. The deliverable is a specific output of the business process

improvement and the work product is the document or collection of notes or diagrams used by the business analyst during the requirements development process.

◦ b. The deliverable is a specific output of the business analysis process, and the work product is the document or collection of notes or diagrams used by the business analyst during the requirements development. process.

◦ c. The work product is a specific output of the business analysis process, and the deliverable is the output of the project and is used by the project manager during the requirements development process.

◦ d. The deliverable is a specific output of the business analysis process, and the work product is the document or collection of requirements samples used by the business analyst during the requirements development process.

Questions for Task 4.4

4.5 Communication Requirements

Purpose – Essential for bringing stakeholders to a common understanding of requirements.

Input :1. Business Analysis Communication Plan – defines what, who and when

information is communicated.2. Requirements – any requirement may be communicated3. Requirement Package – If requirement package created it must be

distributed, reviewed and communicated to stakeholder.

Output:1. Communication Package – stakeholders should understand what the

requirements are and their current state.

4.5 Communication Requirements

Elements: 1. General Communication:

Requirement communication is performed iteratively. In many cases requirement communication may lead to elicitation of

additional requirements

Enterprise Analysis Task – business case and solution scope communicated Elicitation Task- communication of requirements useful during elicitation

and may result in other related requirements Requirements Analysis Task – requirements are refined, modified and

clarified Solution Assessment & Validation – assessment of solution must be

communicated

2. Presentation: Formality of presentation is driven by the audience.

4.5 Communication Requirements

Techniques:

1. Requirements Workshops (9.23)– requirements may be presented as part of a workshop to familiarize all parties with solution scope.

2. Structured Walkthrough (9.30) – begins with a review of the requirments to be discussed

Stakeholders:

◦ All

4.5 Communication Requirements

The technique that is used to help familiarize the project team with the existing solution scope:

Select one:

◦ a. Requirements Workshop◦ b. Structured Walkthrough ◦ c. Structured Walkthrough and Requirements Workshop ◦ d. Brainstorming using Requirements Workshop

Questions for Task 4.5

Fill in the blank: Requirements communication is________.

Select one:

◦ a. Performed during the initial stage of the project. ◦ b. Performed during the initial stage of the project and used

when performing tasks in other knowledge areas. ◦ c. Performed iteratively and used when performing tasks in

other knowledge areas. ◦ d. Performed iteratively and in a planned manner and used

when performing tasks in other knowledge areas.

Questions for Task 4.5