Why do we need to prioritise business requirements/business change
Organisations and businesses have a finite amount of resources, which means that the IT organisation cannot deliver every change request or requirement that the business or a stakeholder gives to them. Hence, we have to prioritise. Prioritising requirements is crucial for ensuring that the essential features are developed first, optimising resource allocation, and delivering value to users efficiently. We must consider all the changes or requirements we have gathered and determine the most important things. We can then commit our resources to tackling the most critical items, ensuring we deliver changes or solutions that meet business goals/objectives. Here are some tips to help in the prioritisation process.
What are the business objectives
The starting point is to focus on what the business objectives are. We don’t want to spend money, time, and effort on things that don’t help us achieve the business objectives, so clarify what the objectives are and start looking at your changes/requirements from that perspective. Make sure the requirement or change is linked to the objectives and that it helps us achieve the objectives or goals of the business.
Categorise requirements
Categorising or grouping requirements, or what I call “Requirements Bundling,” can be very helpful in helping us manage and prioritise requirements effectively. Categorisation provides a structured framework for organising requirements based on common themes or characteristics. This clarity makes it easier for stakeholders to understand and discuss requirements, reducing ambiguity and misunderstandings. It can also prove beneficial regarding resource allocation, e.g., where specific categories contain high-priority or high-value requirements, resources can be allocated accordingly to ensure those requirements are addressed first.
Use a precise technique to prioritise
Choose a prioritisation technique that supports your project’s specific needs and constraints. The method chosen should enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your project management and decision-making processes. You could select from many techniques – MoSCoW, Weighted Scoring, Impact Mapping, Kano, etc. Choosing the technique or combination of techniques that best suits your project’s goals, constraints, and stakeholder preferences is essential. It is also a good idea to involve stakeholders in the prioritisation process to ensure you gain alignment with business objectives and maximise buy-in.
Assess Value and Effort
Spend some time assessing the value of each requirement and the effort required to deliver the requirement or change. The point is to identify high-value, low-effort items and tackle those quickly. Some people call this “the low-hanging fruit” – things you can quickly deliver and will be seen/perceived as great value by the stakeholders.
Risk Assessment
The importance of assessing and managing risk in business must be considered. Take time to analyse the risks associated with each change request or requirement. Risks can range from non-negotiable items such as regulatory compliance to technical complexity. We want to ensure we prioritise requirements that mitigate the highest risks.
Dependency Assessment
When assessing change requests or gathering requirements, look for dependencies among requirements. This will help you to identify requirements that are prerequisites for other requirements. We must include this perspective in the prioritisation process and ensure we deliver those first.
Maintain open and continuous communication
The only constant changes (if you’re a regular on my blog, you already know this is my favourite phrase.) As a business analyst, you will do well to remember that the business world is continuously evolving. What seems super critical today may be less crucial tomorrow if something changes; therefore, maintain open communication with stakeholders throughout the prioritisation and delivery process to ensure alignment with their needs, expectations, and the most current business reality.
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