Value of Business Requirements Clarity

The world is in turmoil. We are living through major pressures for change – pressures that are forcing us to move us away from what we know and what we are experienced in dealing with, and into an unsure and riskier place.

These pressures include geo-political instability, the pandemic, labour shortages, the demand for refugee resettlement, skill shortages, supply shortages, political influences impacting supply, changing markets, new emerging technologies, loss of personal anonymity, cyber-criminality, domestic political instability and uncertainty, regional wars and the threat of new conflicts, changing educational operations, failing health services, distortion of media, loss of trust in establishment messaging, the rise of the far right, and so on.

There is little surprise then, that most organisations and businesses are stressed in trying to determine a way forward for themselves, their interests, and their stakeholders.

Their desire is to identify and apply a coherent and achievable strategy and path forward that will still enable them to satisfy their objectives, despite the multiplicity of dynamics and influences of their environment and context.

We know from our experience with “just” the pandemic, that thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of businesses have closed as a result of the dried-up demand or supply. We also know that if the impacts of the pandemic remain for much longer, those businesses who have been “hanging on” by their fingernails, may no longer be able to hang-on. Add to this the impacts of all the other pressures referred to previously. It’s tough – very tough, and there’s a lot of pain out there.

To survive, satisfy objectives, and ultimately grow, organisations and businesses need to consider their organisational and business destiny seriously, dispassionately, and competently.

• What do they really need to achieve?
• How will they adapt what they have and do to achieve it?
• How long will it take?
• How much will it cost?
• Who will do it?

If your organisation or business is struggling with these challenges, then it’s probably wise to start developing your Business Requirement Document (BRD) as a way to establish clarity on moving forward. We are here to help you all the way.

The business requirements represent the structural, technical, functional, human resource, and operational elements that need to exist in order for the organization to secure the benefits that justify a change in objectives, strategy and/or operations.

In the attached article Understanding Business Requirements, we discuss:

• Why this is important?
• When do you do it?
• Things to watch out for.
• How you start.
• Resources required.
• Deliverables.

Click here to view the article Understanding Business Requirements.

ABOUT ADVISORY & MENTORING (A&M)

……just in case you were wondering.

A&M is an international business advisory and mentoring firm providing talent to solve your business problems and achieve your objectives.

We apply a powerful diagnostic to your organisation to identify the issues that require remedy in your business systems. Those issues fall into one or more of the 12 core elements of every organisation which we term the 12 Pivot-Points.

We then bring expertise to those elements to help you navigate your issues in a complex world.

OUR DIAGNOSTIC AND METHODOLOGY

Like you, we have learned from decades of experience and research that there are no islands in organisations. When things happen, or don’t happen, there are impacts up and down the organisation.

Therefore, to fix issues, or to undertake change, or to take advantage of opportunities, one needs to understand what happens up and down the organisation in order to successfully deliver objectives.

There are two broad ways clients engage with us: they either have a very specific issue they need resolved, or they have a number of issues and aren’t sure where or how to start.

We have a way of looking at organisations that understands how they think, how they operate, and how to deliver successful outcomes that last.

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OR ISSUES

When clients talk to us about specific issues, we undertake a few tasks to better understand the organisational context and deliver a successful outcome using our methodology to ensure the appropriateness of the solution.

We:

• Establish clarity over the client’s objective.
• We secure an understanding of the context of the issue within the organisation.
• We clarify the impacts of the issue up and down the organisation.
• We explore the implications of those impacts on relevant stakeholders.
• We then develop a realistic, pragmatic, and workable solution that sits realistically within the client’s context.
• We then develop an Implementation Plan to help the client know what needs to be done, in what sequence, and with what resources, time and cost.
• If the client wishes, we can also manage the implementation and whatever changes are required.

MULTIPLE OR COMPLEX ISSUES

When the client has a number of issues but isn’t sure where or how to start, we apply our methodology.

This research-validated methodology focuses on the 12 key organisational pivots that occur in a sequence and which impact other Pivot-Points and must be understood to deliver an enduring and robust solution.

THE 12 PIVOT-POINTS WE FOCUS ON ARE:

1. Organisational purpose (either shareholder objectives, or charter or constitutional objectives). Describes why the organisation exists.

2. Organisation’s required outcomes (KPOs, priorities, and strategic direction). Converts broad purpose statements into measurable performance metrics.

3. Market and Operating environments. Identifies the operating environments from which all performance metrics must be achieved.

4. Products and Services (including manufacturing, procurement and product and service-related systems). Identifies the things that customers will buy in the markets you’ve chosen to satisfy performance metrics.

5. Channels and distribution. Determines how you will get your products and services to their customers.

6. Support systems. Determines how you will support the customers and intermediaries in all markets to provide an efficient and profitable service.

7. Selling and Communication. Determines how you will approach, offer and secure customer purchase and the messages you will use.

8. Human Resources and culture. Determines the number and types of people you need, and the culture that will engender the mindsets required.

9. I.T. systems, procedures and processes. Determines the systems needed to make it all work.

10. Management including structure. Determines how you will manage and structure the business.

11. Finance and other outcomes ($, #, %). The decisions above are modelled and compared to performance metrics.

12. Formal Plans. When #11 = #2, then formal plans are created that explain and instruct the organisation.

When we identify and clarify the client’s issues, we then bring specific subject experts of ours to the challenge of solving the problem, issue, or opportunity. Our subject experts cover over 350 areas of expertise distributed over the 12 Pivot-Points.

Our experts are located around the world and focus on projects globally.

GETTING STARTED

If you wish to explore the possibility of working with us, then it’s easy.

We meet (face-to-face or digital) to discuss your needs – this is NOT a sales ambush, nor a brainstorming or ideas session. The conversation is between mature professionals to see if we have something that fits your needs.

If we believe we can assist you and based on your needs, we prepare a detailed proposal that we believe, based on the understanding we have gained from you or your people, will satisfy those needs.

If you would like to have the initial discussion to see if A&M can assist you, or if you have any questions about our diagnostic and methodology, please contact Dr Jack Jacoby, the Head of Client Satisfaction at jjj@advisory-mentoring.com