Hang with me now, there are two more important steps: execution and verification. For the uninitiated that means doing the real work, and then proving you did it. This is why we say that business requirement statements must be both actionable and testable. Track these processes with a scorecard or dashboard that summarizes incremental completions for all your business requirements.

In summary, you should see that defining your business requirements leads to design, execution and verification of the work that will lead to transforming your business. Because the work is carefully specified, it can be finished and tested to the satisfaction of all your stakeholders.

In my next blog post, I’ll go into more detail about planning the execution and verification phases, as well as some pitfalls and pratfalls to avoid.