Would you agree that requirements need to be clearly understood, logical, right and memorable? Thats right, I said memorable, not measurable. Yes of course they should be measurable but that becomes meaningless if they are not first, memorable. So why is it that more Business Analysts don't tell requirements stories? The most effective communicators tell stories, they ensure things are memorable and clearly understood. The Business Analyst should be the best communicator on the team given the sheer volume of requirements, plus all of the additional things that support the requirements like how we got there to begin with, the business case, the value proposition, business rules, and more.
Learn what makes up a compelling requirements story. Stories that are memorable, contagious, interesting, and ensure the requirements are clearly understood. Learn the structure, how emotions play into the story, how to hold your stakeholders interest, how improvisation and the art of surprise can enhance the story and keep it relevant for your audience. Did you hear the one about the non-functional requirement looking for the functional requirement in all the wrong places? Probably not, but it sounds like there is a great story in there somewhere that needs to be told. What is your story?
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Bob Prentiss is a keynote speaker, author, mentor, coach and Business Analysis thought leader. Bob is passionate about helping you think, learn & work differently so you can become the best version of yourself. Bob is the CEO and founder of Bob the BA Training providing badass business analysis training, consulting and mentoring services. Bob the BA helps organizations transform their requirements practices utilizing modern techniques, an agile mindset and street-smart approaches to get the work done faster. Bob is CBAP® certified with 30 years of experience in corporate America; with a background in managing BA centers of excellence, assessing and managing BA maturity, quality, and competency. Bob has presented numerous keynote, workshops, seminars, conferences, and training sessions across North America. Bob is a founding member and past President of the IIBA® MSP Chapter.