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Business Requirements Document Template

Prepared by: ​[Sender.Company]​

Prepared for: ​[Client.Company]​

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What a company needs to include in a BRD will vary depending on the services it provides. For example, a BRD for changes to a banking system might require you to outline functionality for making withdrawals, depositing money, or transferring funds from one account to another. This template gives you a place to start. Feel free to modify it as needed.

An executive summary, which indicates the purpose and contents of the rest of the document, should be no more than three paragraphs long. It is usually best to draft this section last. Try to avoid being overly formal as you showcase the character of your company and the reason why you’re the client’s ideal choice.

Executive summary

Attached you'll find the business requirements document that covers the work required by ​[Client.Company] . Sections contained within the document include Business Objectives, Background, Scope, Features, Functional Requirements, Personnel Requirements, Reporting and Quality Assurance, Delivery Schedule, Other Requirements, Assumptions, Limitations, Risks. One of the issues faced by [Client.Company] is (client issue) The goal of [project name] is to allow [Client.Company] to (client objective). By bringing on [Sender.Company] to assist with the project, ​[Client.Company] gets the benefit of [Sender.Company] 's years of experience in services to [client's industry] . ​[Sender.Company] appreciates the faith that [Client.Company] has placed in us. Our company's mission is to (Company mission). We understand the intricacies of services to the (client's industry). ​[Sender.Company] will work hard to ensure that [Client.Company] receives everything necessary to accomplish their business goals upon the successful delivery of [project name] .

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Business objectives

Here, you go into detail about what you hope to accomplish with the project. Some of the topics you might wish to touch upon include an overview of the current process, the business drivers prompting the changes, and any users or business areas affected by the project.

2.1 Project Solution

The new (project solution) will help [Client.Company] accomplish its goal of [business deliverable] . [Sender.Company] will oversee quality control at each step of the process to avoid issues during deployment.

You should also talk about the project’s goals, what the client hopes to accomplish, and all stakeholders involved, such as the project manager. And it’s a good idea to mention how the project impacts the client’s overall business strategy

2.2 Value

Thanks to [project name] , [Client.Company] can move further toward their goal of [client objective] . By doing so, [Client.Company] puts itself in a position to (overall business strategy).

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2.3 Next Steps

The success of [project name] will impact [Client.Company] positively by [positive business impacts] . In addition, there will be established metrics to gauge the impacts of the [project solution] release. By implementing [project name] , [Client.Company] can put itself into a position to accomplish the following business goals:

2.3.1 [Client.Company] should have the ability to (business objective 1). 2.3.2 [Client.Company] should have the ability to (business objective 2). 2.3.3 [Client.Company] should have the ability to (business objective 3). 2.3.4 [Client.Company] should have the ability to (business objective 4). 2.3.5 [Client.Company] should have the ability to (business objective 5).

You want to detail specific results that should occur upon the full implementation of the project. For example, if you’re rolling out a new communication system for employees, an objective might be to have the new software installed on everyone’s desktop by a specific date. It’s a good idea to hold a brainstorming session with colleagues to ensure you’re covering every potential business objective.

The stakeholders involved in the project include: (Stakeholder 1)(stakeholder title)(stakeholder department) (Stakeholder 2)(stakeholder title)(stakeholder department) (Stakeholder 3)(stakeholder title)(stakeholder department) (Stakeholder 4)(stakeholder title)(stakeholder department) (Stakeholder 5)(stakeholder title)(stakeholder department) ​[Client.Company] decided to pursue [project name] because (description of business drivers) .

Business objectives should reflect the commonly used SMART formula — specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound. If you are not familiar with this formula, an easy comparison would be the generic “I will have healthier habits this year” with the SMART version: “I will lose 15 pounds in the next three months, I will do this by cutting out desserts and walking two miles every day during that time period.”

2.4 Functionality

The new functionality provided by [project name] will allow [Client.Company] to accomplish their goal of (business goal) . Changes will include modifications to (systems modified) and (business processes modified) . (Additional functionality of new process)

2.5 Process diagrams

(Original process diagram) (Current process diagram)

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Background

Currently, [Client.Company] handles (business process) by (description of current process). Because of changing business needs caused by (reason for change) , the business must now (new process) . As a result, [Client.Company] is initiating [project name] to allow [Sender.Company] to (new business process) . ​[Sender.Company] is the ideal partner to assist [Client.Company] pursue their desired business strategy because (Company services/experience). (Additional background description of issues) (Additional background text)

Provide information about the business and its current business practices, and outline the business need that underlies this document. Use this section to indicate your understanding of why the client felt that change was necessary. It’s also a good idea to highlight the reasons why your business is the right fit for the client.

Scope

The Scope section creates specifications around what work is included or not included as part of the discussed project. Err on the side of more detail rather than less, because mutual understanding between the parties as to scope can be a primary source of dispute and cost overruns. Specify that any services or project items not explicitly outlined within this section of the BRD are deemed to be excluded from the project.

Use the Scope section to define the boundaries of the project. If you’re making changes to a business application, for example, define which specific screens will receive updates or describe any new functionality that will be provided to users as a result.

The scope of the [project name] initiated by [Client.Company]​ should cover the following changes to business procesess:

4.1 Project objective

​[Client.Company] (PROJECT DESCRIPTION (IF ANY)) Prepared by: ​[Client.FirstName][Client.LastName] ​[Client.Company] MM / DD / YYYY The primary objective of [project name] is to (project objective) . (Additional description of overall project objective)

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4.2 Project deliverables

4.2.1 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 1). 4.2.2 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 2). 4.2.3 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 3) . 4.2.4 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 4) . 4.2.5 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 5) . 4.2.6 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 6) .

4.2.7 [Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (deliverable 7) .

4.3 Project milestones

The following milestones must be hit by [Sender.Company] on the dates indicated below: 4.3.1 Milestone 1 – (MM.DD.YYYY) 4.3.2 Milestone 2 – (MM.DD.YYYY) 4.3.3 Milestone 3 – (MM.DD.YYYY) 4.3.4 Milestone 4 – (MM.DD.YYYY) 4.3.5 Milestone 5 – (MM.DD.YYYY)

4.4 High-level requirements

​[Sender.Company] must adhere to each of [Client.Company] ’s requirements as listed below: 4.4.1 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 1) to meet the client’s need for [business need 1] . 4.4.2 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 2) to meet the client’s need for [business need 2] . 4.4.3 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 3) to meet the client’s need for [business need 3] . 4.4.4 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 4) to meet the client’s need for [business need 4] . 4.4.5 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 5) to meet the client’s need for [business need 5] .

4.4.6 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 6) to meet the client’s need for [business need 6] . 4.4.7 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 7) to meet the client’s need for [business need 7] . 4.4.8 [Sender.Company] must (requirements description 8) to meet the client’s need for [business need 8] .

Outlining your project scope enables you to avoid “scope creep,” where the expected deliverables tend to expand as you progress through the project.

4.5 Assumptions

When you identify assumptions that you or the client have made about the business operations and other details, you have an easier time identifying wrong assumptions before they throw an entire process off track. It’s always a good idea to go over the assumption section during a brainstorming session with all stakeholders. That way, someone more familiar with a specific business process may be able to spot an error before the project gets underway.

​[Sender.Company] should keep the following assumptions in mind when performing the work required by [Client.Company] : 4.5.1 [Sender.Company] should assume that [Client.Company] (assumptions description 1) . 4.5.2 [Sender.Company] should assume that [Client.Company] (assumptions description 2) . 4.5.3 [Sender.Company] should assume that [Client.Company] (assumptions description 3) . 4.5.4 [Sender.Company] should assume that [Client.Company] (assumptions description 4) . 4.5.5 [Sender.Company] should assume that [Client.Company] (assumptions description 5) .

4.6 Acceptance criteria

​[Sender.Company] must adhere to the following acceptance criteria that define success for [project name] , as outlined by [Client.Company] : 4.6.1 The user must be able to (acceptance criteria description). 4.6.2 The system must allow the user to (acceptance criteria description). 4.6.3 The user must be required to (acceptance criteria description). 4.6.4 The system must validate (acceptance criteria description) before proceeding with (system process). 4.6.5 The system must prompt the user to (acceptance criteria description) before allowing the user to (user process) .

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4.7 Constraints

​[Sender.Company] must take the following constraints into consideration when mapping out the technical details of [project name] : 4.7.1 The (business system) currently does not allow for (constraints description). 4.7.2 Users of (business system) are currently limited to functions that include [constraints description] . 4.7.3 There is currently a data storage limit of (data storage limit) that limits the system to (constraints description) . 4.7.4 Reporting and other system insights are currently limited to (constraints description) because of (additional constraint description) . 4.7.5 Users can only process up to (constraints description) within (business system).

Features

This section would include descriptive wording that defines the client’s business needs as you work on developing a timeline for project tasks. For example, a software developer client reviewing this section might expect to see information that details how their customers would utilize the new feature to perform routine business tasks, compile company data, and run a report.

​[Sender.Company] will introduce the following features upon completion of [project name] :

5.1 [Sender.Company] must add (feature name) to (business system). The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) .

The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) . 5.3 [Sender.Company] must add (feature name) to (business system). The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) . 5.4 [Sender.Company] must add (feature name) to (business system). The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) . 5.5 [Sender.Company] must add (feature name) to (business system). The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) . 5.6 [Sender.Company] must add (feature name) to (business system). The feature should give the user the ability to (feature description) .

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Functional requirements

The Functional requirements section is where to put more details about the structure behind what the user of the end product or service sees. You may add appropriate subsections, data flow diagrams and flowcharts, or similar types of information. Be detailed but not too technical. The audience for this document is business decision-makers.

6.1 Context

​[Sender.Company] must provide [Client.Company] with the following system updates and expand the functionality available to users as outlined in the context diagrams below: Exhibit 1: context diagram Exhibit 2: context diagram

Your function requirements describe the new functions or features made available through the completion of the project. Use this section to describe the behavior of your system when a specific condition occurs.

6.2 Methodology

​[Sender.Company] will adhere to an (Agile/Waterfall/Scrum/Kanban) framework when planning out the different phases of [project name]. That will afford the development team and all project stakeholders the best chance of identifying potential risks to ensure they don’t disrupt the delivery of [project name].

Use this section to help nontechnical users understand the approach taken to complete the project.

6.2 User requirements

6.2.1 System use cases The following diagrams provide a visualization of what [Client.Company] requires from the system: 6.2.1.1 (system use case diagram 1) 6.2.1.2 (system use case diagram 2) 6.2.1.3 (system use case diagram 3) 6.2.1.4 (system use case diagram 4) 6.2.1.5 (system use case diagram 5) 6.2.2 System use case descriptions The following system use cases provide a text description of what [Client.Company] requires from the system through changes put in place by [project name] : 6.2.2.1 The system must (system use case description 1). 6.2.2.2 The system must (system use case description 2). 6.2.2.3 The system must (system use case description 3).

6.2.2.4 The system must (system use case description 4). 6.2.2.5 The system must (system use case description 5).

Make sure you clearly describe the needs of any users affected by your project. In addition, you should account for any impacts to systems relied upon by the users for their job roles. You can use text for the descriptions or add process flows that describe the impacts.

6.3 Data flow diagrams

The following data flow diagrams outline the flow of information through different systems affected by the changes brought about as a result of [project name] : 6.3.1 (data flow diagram 1) 6.3.2 (data flow diagram 2) 6.3.3 (data flow diagram 3)

At this point, you should break down the high-level flows introduced in the business objectives section down to a more granular level. You can still use flowcharts if a visualization makes things more straightforward.

6.4 Logical data model

The following logical data model showcases the information captured and processed based on the system changes implemented by [project name] :

​[Client.Company] will require the following personnel in place to ensure the timely completion of ​[project name] by [Sender.Company] :

In this section, you should lay out the logical data models and any business data requirements for the project. You should not use this section to lay out any physical database characteristics.

Personnel requirements

For some business projects, the identity of personnel is just as critical as any other requirements. Include enough detail to address those needs in the context of the rest of the project and any potential impacts on the project budget.

Name

Price

QTY

Subtotal

Item 1

Description of first item

$35.00

5

$175.00

Item 2

Description of second item

$55.00

1

$55.00

Item 3

Description of third item

$200.00

1

$200.00

Subtotal

$230.00

Discount

-$115.00

Tax

$23.00

Total

$138.00

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Depending on your industry, it may be a good idea to spell out the hours required for personnel and the cost of each resource. You can choose to include additional levels of detail as required for your business needs.

Reporting and quality assurance

​[Client.Company] requires that [Sender.Company] enables the reporting of the following metrics to measure the successful delivery of each project milestone: 8.1 (QA Metric 1)[Sender.Company]must provide a metric that measures the success of (project deliverable) by (reporting metric description) . 8.2 (QA Metric 2)[Sender.Company] must provide a metric that measures the success of (project deliverable) by (reporting metric description) . 8.3 (QA Metric 3)[Sender.Company] must provide a metric that measures the success of (project deliverable) by (reporting metric description) . 8.4 (QA Metric 4)[Sender.Company] must provide a metric that measures the success of (project deliverable) by (reporting metric description) . 8.5 (QA Metric 5) [Sender.Company] must provide a metric that measures the success of (project deliverable) by (reporting metric description) .

The Reporting and Quality Assurance section will outline how progress is being measured and assessed along the way. Make sure you clearly define the methods employed to oversee progress on the project and show progress to stakeholders.

Delivery schedule

Include both final deadlines and detail around milestones.

​[Sender.Company] must adhere to [Client.Company] ’s delivery schedule for each project phase. Include both final deadlines and detail around milestones.

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9.1 (Project phase 1) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) . 9.2 (Project phase 2) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) . 9.3 (Project phase 3) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) . 9.4 (Project phase 4) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) . 9.5 (Project phase 5) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) . 9.6 (Project phase 6) ​[Sender.Company] must deliver (project phase) of [project name] by (MM.DD.YYYY) .

Other requirements

​[Sender.Company] must adhere to the following requirements per the needs of [Client.Company] : 10.1 The company must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (additional requirement 1) . 10.2 The company must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (additional requirement 2). 10.3 The company must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (additional requirement 3) . 10.4 The company must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (additional requirement 4) . 10.5 The company must provide [Client.Company] with the ability to (additional requirement 5) .

Using an IT example again, think about such things as interface requirements between old and new systems, data conversion requirements where appropriate, hardware and software requirements when instrumental to the rest of the project, and operational requirements if not already discussed above. Details such as these may not fit into other requirement buckets but still need to be documented within your BRD if they impact business processes.

​

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Limitations

Identify any limitations in terms of time, personnel, technical details, or other things that affect the scope, time, and cost of the project under discussion. Be specific about any restrictions around the project. Capture any potential obstacles that could arise in the future during project execution. Having that knowledge upfront reduces the potential of the project getting thrown off track by any unanticipated challenges.

The following limitations may impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to comply with specific project deliverables by [Client.Company] 's outlined milestone dates:

11.1 The (business system) prevents [Sender.Company] from (limitation 1). 11.2 Current company policy prohibits users from (limitation 2). 11.3 A lack of reporting resources limits the ability of upper management from (limitation 3). 11.4 A need to comply with (regulatory policy) prohibits users from (limitation 4). 11.5 Data that comes from (limitation 5). must be kept in a separate business system. The company currently lacks the data storage resources to support that business requirement.

Risks

Every project has inherent risks that may cause delay or even failure of a project. You must identify these risks to show you know what they are and identify ways to mitigate those risks. Excluding this section from your BRD could cause you a lot of problems down the line. Take the opportunity to meet with business stakeholders and brainstorm any risks to the project.

12.1 Technology Risks

12.1.1 If (business system) does not (business process), then the users will not be able to (business function) . 12.1.2 If the data team fails to perform information backups every night, then the system will not have the ability to (system process). 12.1.3 If the change management team fails to update the system on the scheduled date, then the user will not be able to (business process). 12.1.4 If the system does not properly save user updates, then that will affect the integrity of information stored in (database/datastore).

Describe any risks that might arise with the technology used to build or support the project.

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12.2 Skills Risks

The following risks might arise due to not having personnel in place to perform the necessary system or business functions: 12.2.1 If the developer does not possess knowledge of (technology/programming language), they will not be capable of making the necessary updates to (business process/application) . 12.2.2 If the user does not understand how to (business capability) , then they will not have the ability to take full advantage of the changes put in place by (system change) .

Describe any risks that might arise regarding the skills necessary to deliver the project.

12.3 Environmental/political risks

The following environment or political risks might impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to provide the changes required by [Client.Company] for [project name] : 12.3.1 If [Client.Company] is unable to obtain buy-in from (stakeholder) , then that impacts the ability to deliver on (project milestone) . 12.3.2 If (local/state/federal law title) becomes implemented, [Sender.Company] will be unable to proceed with (project milestone) . 12.3.3 If [Client.Company] fails to win approval to proceed with (business change) , then that impacts [Sender.Company] ’s ability to provide client with (project milestone) .

Describe any risks that might arise because of internal business environment forces or those caused by changes at the local, state, or federal level.

12.4 Business risks

The following business risks might hinder the ability of [Sender.Company] to deliver on the goals of ​[project name] for [Client.Company] : 12.4.1 If [Client.Company] fails to provide [Sender.Company] with all information pertaining to [business process] , then that may impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (project milestone). 12.4.2 If [Client.Company] fails to provide [Sender.Company] with all information pertaining to [user process] , then that may impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (project milestone). 12.4.3 If [Client.Company] fails to provide [Sender.Company] with all information pertaining to [system process] , then that may impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (project milestone).

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Describe any risks to the company that could occur if the project ends up getting canceled or delayed.

12.5 Requirements risks

12.5.1 If [Sender.Company] and fail to account for all systems impacted by the changes caused by [project name] , then that may impact the ability to deliver on some or all project milestones. 12.5.2 If [Sender.Company] and [Client.Company] fail to account for all constraints around various aspects of [project name] , then that may impact the ability to deliver on some or all project milestones. 12.5.3 If [Sender.Company] and [Client.Company] fail to account for all user needs when outlining the scope of [project name] , then that may impact the ability to achieve [Client.Company] business objectives.

Describe any risks that could arise because of issues with the requirements. For example, what could happen to the project timeline if you discovered that a section of the requirements was incomplete?

12.6 Additional risks

The following additional risks must be accounted for by [Sender.Company] when considering the scope of the project: 12.6.1 The potential of (additional risk) occurring during the project development phase could impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (company milestone) . 12.6.2 The potential of (additional risk) occurring during the project testing phase could impact ​[Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (company milestone) . 12.6.3 The potential of (additional risk) occurring during the project release phase could impact [Sender.Company] ’s ability to deliver on (company milestone) .

Continue to describe any other risks that do not fall into the risk buckets above.

Appendix A – Glossary of Terms

(Glossary term) — (glossary definition) (Glossary term) — (glossary definition) (Glossary term) — (glossary definition) (Glossary term) — (glossary definition) (Glossary term) — (glossary definition)

Add a glossary if there are a lot of technical terms that need defining to add clarity to the document. Remember, you’ll have technical and nontechnical personnel reviewing it. It’s always helpful to have a handy reference within your BRD that helps everyone understand the terminology and business vocabulary used throughout.

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  • Among the must-haves for any business requirements document, professionals emphasize executive summary, business goals, project overview, and its scope — all the necessary details to show what steps will be done to achieve the final project goal. At the same time, this is a format of forecasting potential risks and influential factors that can determine the project duration, complexity, involved resources, and dependencies.

  • In simple terms, this notion defines strict orientations for brands to comply with and implement in their working system. The list of business requirements extends a standard summary format to more voluminous descriptions of activities a team/company is ready to proceed with in order to satisfy the client’s goal or perform their particular project.

  • Unlike a business requirement document, a software requirement specification is focused on the needs and properties of the right hardware and software implementation in the target working system/project. It is also used to plan the budget and predict unexpected factors to cope with in order to avoid negative consequences for the project’s success. As a BRD, an SRS also functions as a bridge between the vendor and the client.

  • The difference between FRD and BRD is simple. A business requirement document has a more statement-like nature, representing the suite of features to be implemented in a new system (a set of actions to perform to realize a target project). On the contrary, a functional requirement document possesses a more descriptive nature, showing the ways of how to realize the statements of the BRD.

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