Requirements Engineering

Requirements engineering for today’s Business Analyst. Master essential techniques for elicitation, analysis, documentation and managing requirements. A key step towards the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.

Business analysts, business change specialists, systems analysts and anyone who is involved in gathering, analysing, documenting and managing requirements. Requirements Engineering is also a Core module on the BCS (ISEB) International Diploma in Business Analysis.

Requirements Engineering is a valuable tool in the hands of the expert business analyst, whatever the project or product development lifecycle. It involves drilling down past surface discussion into tacit knowledge. Teams willing to embrace effective requirements practices, pinpointing consumer expectations for a newly introduced or modified existing product, will achieve better outcomes.

Based around a Requirements Engineering framework, this course teaches a range of techniques for elicitation, analysis, documentation and managing requirements. A detailed case study used throughout the course allows you to practise each technique as you learn. Key areas include: requirements categorisation; prioritisation; documentation (including user stories, use case modelling and class modelling); change management and traceability.

The course will be presented by one of our expert training consultants pictured below. Every member of our Requirements Engineering training team offers substantial experience of business analysis projects and applying Requirements Engineering techniques.

Yes. During this three day course you’ll receive all the training you need to prepare for the BCS Requirements Engineering certificate examination. A pass means you’re another step closer to achieving the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis – the de facto certification for practicing business analysts. One last thing this course is also approved as consistent with the IIBA BABoK version 3.0 and enables participants to develop SFIA skills BUAN and REQM.

This exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 26/40.

If this course is part of your BCS Diploma in Business Analysis programme you have a choice of further modules which include the other core BA Diploma module, Business Analysis Practice. Candidates who have already completed the core modules can take one Practitioner specialism, which includes Benefits Management and Business Acceptance, Systems Modelling Techniques, Modelling Business Processes, Systems Development Essentials or Data Management Essentials. Before taking the Oral exam, candidates must also pass one of the Foundation Specialisms; in Business Analysis, IS Project Management, Business Change or Commercial Awareness.

Requirements Engineering (a three-day course)

Course Content

Introduction to Requirement Engineering

• Definition of a requirement
• Characteristics of a good requirement
• Types of requirements
• Requirements hierarchies
• Purpose of requirements and their target audience
• Common problems with requirements
• Rationale for Requirements Engineering (RE)
• RE framework

Stakeholders in RE

• Stakeholders and viewpoints
• Roles and responsibilities within RE
• Identifying and analysing user roles
• Personas
• Customer journey maps

Planning for RE

• The business context
• The importance of starting a project properly: Project Initiation Document / Terms of Reference
• Planning the RE approach
• Adapting RE for different situations
• Iterative versus linear projects

Requirements Elicitation

• The scope of elicitation work
• The significance of knowledge types: tacit (corporate and individual) and non-tacit (corporate and individual)
• Uses, advantages and disadvantages of elicitation techniques:
  • Interviewing
  • Workshops
  • Observation (including shadowing)
  • Storytelling
  • Scenario analysis & scenario role-play
  • Prototyping (including storyboards & wireframes)
  • Document analysis & record searching
• Selection of appropriate techniques
• Suitability of elicitation techniques for linear and Agile projects

Documenting Requirements

• The importance of documentation
• Documentation styles (text-based versus diagrammatic) and formats
• Business requirements document (BRD)
• Requirements catalogue
• User stories
• Use case models
• Class models
• Applicability to linear and Agile projects

Modelling Requirements

• Modelling functionality
  • context diagrams and use case diagrams for scope definition
  • use case descriptions for defining user interactions
• Modelling data: class models
• Cross-checking models using a CRUD matrix

Requirements Analysis

• Ensuring fitness for purpose
• Applying requirements filters:
  • Unravelling multiple requirements
  • Checking for overlapping or duplicate requirements
  • Confirming relevance (congruence with business & project objectives)
  • Evaluating feasibility
  • Removing conflicts
  • Checking for solutions
• Checking and improving quality (specific, measurable, traceable, etc.)
• Packaging requirements for delivery (release and iteration backlogs during Agile development)
• Prioritising requirements using MoSCoW

Elaborating and Refining Requirements

• Slicing requirements
• Making requirements testable (defining acceptance criteria)
• Elaborating and refining requirements using scenario analysis and prototyping
• Analysing business rules

Requirements Validation

• Approaches to validation: formal versus informal
• Validation in linear and Agile projects
• Stakeholder responsibilities in requirements validation
• Prototype reviews

Requirements Management

• Rationale for requirements management
• Elements of requirements management:
  • Identification & cross-referencing
  • Origin & ownership
  • Change control & configuration management
  • Traceability
  • Software support
• Requirements management in linear and Agile projects

Reviewed: September 2023