Project Requirements

✅ 1. What Are Project Requirements?

📌 Definition:

Project Requirements are detailed statements that describe:

• What needs to be delivered (the product/service).

• How it should work (the features, functions, constraints).

• Conditions that must be met for the project to be successful.

💡 In simple terms: Requirements define what stakeholders expect, ensuring the project meets their needs.

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✅ 2. Why Are Requirements Important?

Reason	Benefit
Define project scope	Clarifies what is included and excluded.
Align stakeholder expectations	Prevents misunderstandings and conflicts.
Guide design and development	Helps teams build the right solution.
Basis for testing and validation	Ensures the final product meets needs.
Avoid costly changes	Reduces risks of rework due to unclear needs.

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✅ 3. Types of Project Requirements

Type	Description	Example
Business Requirements	High-level needs and goals of the organization.	Increase online sales by 20% in 12 months.
Stakeholder Requirements	Needs of individuals or groups involved.	Marketing wants integration with social media.
Functional Requirements	Specific behaviors, features, and functions.	System must allow users to reset passwords.
Non-functional Requirements	Quality attributes: performance, security, usability.	Website must load within 2 seconds.
Regulatory/Compliance Requirements	Legal and policy obligations.	GDPR compliance for data privacy.
System Requirements	Hardware and software needs.	Runs on Windows 11 and macOS.

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✅ 4. Characteristics of Good Requirements (INVEST / SMART)

Characteristic	Meaning
Independent	Each requirement stands alone.
Negotiable	Open to discussion and clarification.
Valuable	Provides value to stakeholders.
Estimable	Can be estimated for effort and cost.
Small	Manageable in scope and detail.
Testable	Can be verified through testing.

Also follows SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

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✅ 5. Requirement Gathering Process

Step	Description
1. Identify stakeholders	List all individuals and groups involved.
2. Conduct elicitation	Gather information through interviews, workshops, surveys.
3. Analyze and prioritize	Determine which requirements are critical.
4. Document requirements	Write clear, detailed, and structured requirements.
5. Validate with stakeholders	Confirm that requirements reflect actual needs.
6. Manage and track changes	Update and control requirements as the project evolves.

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✅ 6. Techniques for Gathering Requirements

Technique	Description
Interviews	One-on-one discussions with stakeholders.
Workshops/Brainstorming	Group sessions for collaborative input.
Surveys/Questionnaires	Collect broad input efficiently.
Document Analysis	Review existing documentation, contracts.
Observation (Job Shadowing)	Watch users perform tasks to discover needs.
Prototyping/Mockups	Create visual models to refine requirements.
Use Cases/User Stories	Describe how users will interact with the system.

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✅ 7. Example of Well-Defined Requirement

Requirement Type	Example
Functional	"The system shall allow users to reset their password via email verification."
Non-functional	"The website must load in under 2 seconds on 4G networks."
Business	"Enable customers to order products online by Q3 to increase sales by 20%."
Regulatory	"The system must comply with GDPR for user data management."

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✅ 8. Role of Business Analyst (BA) in Requirements Management

BA's Responsibility	Purpose
Elicit requirements	Gather needs from stakeholders.
Analyze and validate	Ensure requirements are clear and aligned.
Document requirements	Create BRD (Business Requirements Document) or SRS (Software Requirements Specification).
Facilitate communication	Act as a bridge between business and technical teams.
Support testing	Ensure system meets business needs.

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✅ 9. Tools for Managing Requirements

Purpose	Tools
Requirement Documentation	Confluence, Word, Google Docs.
Requirement Tracking	Jira, Azure DevOps, Trello.
Collaboration	Slack, Microsoft Teams, Miro.
Diagramming and Modeling	Lucidchart, Visio, Draw.io, Balsamiq.
Prototyping	Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch.

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✅ 10. Challenges in Requirements Management

Challenge	Solution
Unclear or vague requirements	Use structured elicitation, clarify through examples.
Changing requirements (scope creep)	Use change management process.
Conflicting stakeholder needs	Facilitate discussions to prioritize.
Incomplete requirements	Conduct thorough elicitation and validation.

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✅ 11. Summary of Project Requirements

Aspect	Explanation
Definition	Detailed description of what the project must deliver.
Types	Business, Stakeholder, Functional, Non-functional, Regulatory.
Importance	Align expectations, guide development, ensure quality.
BA Role	Gather, analyze, document, validate, manage.
Tools	Jira, Confluence, Visio, Figma.