We face a lot of ambiguity as business analysts. Sometimes there are only vague notions about what the project is or why it exists.
It’s crucial to ensure that the business objectives and scope are clearly defined and understood in order to document the requirements as quickly and effectively as possible.
What are Business Objectives?
- Business objectives are high-level, written explanations of what the project aims to achieve in order to accomplish its goal
- These should be specific, measurable, attainable and time-based
- There are typically no more than five business objectives for a project
What is Project Scope?
- Project scope is the work that needs to be done to produce a project’s deliverables and achieve its business objectives.
- This may also include features or tasks that are not to be included as part of the project (i.e., out-of-scope activities)
How to Define Business Objectives and Project Scope
- Steps to define the business objectives and scope include:
- Discovering expectations from your primary stakeholders – essentially discovering the “why” behind the project.
- Reconciling conflicting expectations so that the business community begins the project with a shared understanding of the business objectives and that they are not unique to one person’s perspective.
- Documenting the business objectives and scope (what is and is not to be included in the project).
- Ensuring the business objectives are clear and actionable to provide context while defining the system requirements.