I define a business requirement as a requirement that states a business goal, objective, or need of an organization. For example, I capture goals such as increasing market share, reducing costs, or improving customer service. In addition, I write business requirements to show what the organization must achieve by using a system or a set of systems. Therefore, I focus on the business outcome rather than the technical solution.
First, I keep business requirements at a high level of abstraction. Secondly, I separate them from detailed system requirements. Moreover, I place them above stakeholder or user requirements in the hierarchy. For instance, I document business requirements in a business requirements specification, in a stakeholder requirements specification, or in a vision document. In contractual situations, I note that the customer often supplies a stakeholder requirements specification. Then, the supplier uses it to develop system requirements. However, I also accept that business, stakeholder, and system requirements can co-evolve in many projects.
I store most work products electronically. For example, I use files, databases, or requirements-engineering tools. Meanwhile, I may keep informal notes on paper or sticky notes on a Kanban board. In addition, I link business requirements to other artifacts. Thus, I create traceability from goals to use cases, to functional requirements, to test cases. Consequently, I keep traces for verification and impact analysis.
I classify requirements by type and by solution dependence. For example, I distinguish goals that remain solution-independent from requirements that describe system behavior. Therefore, I avoid mixing a business goal with a technical design. Still, I allow some overlap when necessary. In particular, I recognize that some requirements describe desired processes while others describe measurable outcomes. Likewise, I list constraints, business rules, and quality requirements to complete the picture.
I manage relationships between requirements actively. For instance, I document when a user requirement details a business requirement. In addition, I record if a system requirement implements a specific user requirement. Thus, I use influence and dependency links to show how requirements affect each other. Moreover, I maintain a traceability model and traceability tables to describe links across artifacts and tools.
I write business requirements clearly and simply. Furthermore, I prefer short sentences and plain words so translators can convert the text automatically. Because I expect reuse and review, I avoid ambiguous terms. For example, I specify measurable criteria for success and clear stakeholders for each requirement. Finally, I review business requirements with stakeholders, analysts, and architects. Consequently, I reduce misunderstandings and improve alignment between business goals and delivered systems.
If the context here feels thin, I state that briefly. Nevertheless, I base this entry on established practice and on the idea that awareness of different requirement types matters more than any single classification. Thus, I keep business requirements goal-focused, traceable, and usable as the basis for downstream requirements and testing.