Five Tips for Getting Requirement Analysis Right

The requirement analysis and capture process should result in documentation which will cover the following aspects:

1. Define the Problem and High level description of the solution.
   
   The Analyst needs to understand the problem and the need for solution. The questions which need to be answered are:
   
   What problems is the solution going to resolve?
   
   What benefits is the company going to derive from the solution?
   
   Are the requirements implementable?
   
   Apart from answering the above questions a high level description of the solution which needs to be developed and the business needs it is going to address must be documented.
2. Cover needs of all stakeholders and users of the solution.
   
   You need to make sure that needs of all stakeholders are understood. You also need to understand the needs of the people who are ultimately going to use the solution / system. This is very important so that the solution delivers on all counts. This will also help in identifying conflicting requirements if any.
3. Define what the solution should and should not do.
   
   You should not only define what the solution should do but also define what the solution will not do. The requirements should be stated in a manner that nothing is left for imagination or which creates doubts.
4. Define the features required.
   
   Elaborate on the features required in the software solution. In Technical terms define Functional and Non-functional requirements . Try and capture the "What's" and not "How's".
5. Capture all supporting information.
   
   Include details about the Processes followed, Workflow, Information flow, hierarchies etc. Record any other information which might be relevant to the solution under consideration. Identify the source of all requirements and have them documented in such a way that they are manageable.
   
   Once you have applied these tips, the result will be Feasible, Non conflicting, Unambiguous, Traceable and Testable Requirements.