A requirements-gathering template is critical in project management to ensure project team members and key stakeholders are on the same page toward a successful project before software development.
Honestly, 70% of projects fail because of poor requirements-gathering techniques and processes.
Read more: Why Do Software Development Projects Fail?
Fortunately, a requirements-gathering template can enhance your chances of gathering the right project requirements to reinforce higher chances of success.
Gather project requirements with our free requirements-gathering template or use our online tool to automate the process. Let’s also maximise your success rates with expert tips.
But first, discover why requirements-gathering templates are your best chance of capturing project requirements before giving you one you can use for all requirements types.
What Is a Requirements Gathering Template?
A requirements-gathering template helps a project manager define the project scope and requirements while monitoring the completion status to avoid scope creep and receive feedback.
A requirements-gathering template also ensures project managers meet the due date while matching the project’s requirements to the project’s goals and the project’s purpose set out by stakeholders.
Good read: A Complete Guide to Requirements Gathering
Why Project Managers Use Requirements-Gathering Templates
Project management uses requirement-gathering templates and techniques for the following reasons:
Effective requirements-gathering ensures stakeholder satisfaction and the highest chance of receiving approval from a project sponsor.
A project team is on the same page from day one, improving communication, task assignments, and overall project progress in the software development process.
Everyone involved in the process understands the project requirements, tasks, documents, and intended outcomes for highly collaborative projects.
A project manager can save businesses money by gathering requirements effectively to reduce risks and create a safer-to-launch product.
Teams can manage tasks based on a requirement description or specification, planning their work precisely to save time and complete projects faster.
The templates provide a document to manage communication, collaboration, and an easy means for teams to prioritise and categorise requirements for critical tasks.
Teams can differentiate must-haves from nice-to-haves and should-haves to track progress and related tasks for projects with simple guidelines.
Good read: Requirements Gathering Template Checklist
Free Requirements-Gathering Template Tools
We have two requirements-gathering template tools, one for download and another for automation. These tools work for project management teams and businesses gathering requirements for projects. They help you define the project scope and effectively collect project requirements.
Free Requirements-Gathering Templates Online – Requiment
Our online tool for requirements-gathering forgoes the need to use templates. The benefits of using Requiment are that you can generate tasks, create wireframes, and follow a guided process with videos to help inexperienced users. Also, you can access output reports and a requirements document.
Sign up for a free trial or book a demo to discover more about Requiment and our affordable pricing.
Knowing where we originated will help you understand the assumptions that led to our development. Learn about us at our parent company to know more about what we offer or contact us with queries.
The primary benefit of using our Requiment tool is that you automate requirements gathering and won’t need a template. The preview below shows how to add multiple requirement types into our online template to avoid potential mistakes from manual requirements gathering.
Additionally, the preview below shows how requirements-gathering automation templates on Requiment easily become documents. Paperless automation is the way forward with requirements-gathering templates to ensure you can capture information correctly and generate documents with ease.
Finally, the below preview also shows how you can create the wireframe based on your specifications document to prevent any possible mistakes. Gather requirements, generate paperless documents, and design wireframes with a guided process using the Requiment online requirements-gathering template.
Free and Simple Requirements-Gathering Template for Download
Here is an example of a requirements-gathering template to use and change as you need to capture some project requirements. You won’t need to use a manual requirements-gathering template if using our requirements-gathering tool – Requiment. Mistakes occur more often in manual requirements gathering.
The free downloadable requirements-gathering template has multiple rows for different specifications you’ll have to gather manually, including business, user, and project requirements. However, it doesn’t have all the requirements categories you’ll need to complete for successful projects.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll find:
The template includes the first requirements category filled out to guide you toward filling the others out. However, use our step-by-step instructions below to use the free template, albeit the process is automatic if you use our Requiment tool.
Download the Requiment customisable requirements-gathering template for free here before following the steps to capture all the requirements you need for a project.
How to Use the Requiment Requirements-Gathering Template
Open the link for the Requiment requirements-gathering template
Download a copy of the template to a Microsoft Excel document to edit
Clear the example columns and rows once you understand how to complete it
9 Helpful Tips to Use Requirements-Gathering Templates
We listed some helpful tips to ensure project management maximises a requirement-gathering template.
1. Define Project Objectives Before Downloading a Requirements Template
Every project begins with a project name and project goals. Some project managers define the project’s purpose and objectives with simple frameworks like the SMART system. Only process requirements on your template if they fit the SMART system:
Specific – Is the business goal specific to business processes or user problems?
Measurable – Can you track and measure the objectives and requirements once captured?
Achievable – Can teams realistically achieve the desired results with the business goal?
Relevant – Are the project goals relevant to specific user needs in the current market?
Timeous – Can you clearly outline the timeline and due dates for the goals?
Also, consider whether the project name meets the SMART requirements. The project name captures the attention of stakeholders, and it could inspire a name for the actual project.
Good read: How to Gather Requirements as a Business Analyst
2. Pinpoint Key Stakeholders to Fill Requirements-Gathering Templates
Identify the key stakeholders of any project before gathering requirements with a template. Stakeholders define anyone with an interest or stake in the intended project. Some stakeholders include:
Teams working on the project’s analysis and development tasks
A project sponsor responsible for funding development and the team tasks
The project manager who will manage every aspect of the requirements
Clients and users who will experience the product once it launches
Make notes of stakeholders, their roles, and how much influence they hold over the project’s outcome success. That way, you’ll also know how to categorise requirements and which requirements to prioritise with your templates. Business requirements and user specifications are high-level.
Good read: Requirements Prioritisation for Making Informed Decisions
3. List Project Assumptions and Planning Before Template Completion
Project assumptions are project factors project managers believe to be certain but aren’t fully confirmed. For example, project management will use Gantt charts to map the project’s timeline before getting approval from stakeholders and project sponsors.
List assumptions and possible solutions for a project before you complete a template or document. The most common project assumptions to create on your list include the following:
Project schedule – Use Gantt charts or other visual representations to show stakeholders the time or due date assumptions for approval before defining the project scope.
Project roles – List the project role assumptions, such as which developers, engineers, and teams are relevant to completing the intended tasks.
Project risks – Document assumptions related to project risks, including overruns, scope creep, and testing modules to request approval from stakeholders.
Project budget – Stakeholders involved in financing the project will have to approve your cost assumptions. Complete a cost-benefit analysis to accompany the assumptions list.
Describe all the estimated costs related to the project and development process, and connect each cost with associated benefits. Explain the benefits briefly, estimate an expected return on investment (ROI), and present the cost-benefit analysis document for approval.
4. Define the Project Scope Before Completing a Requirements Template
Defining a project’s scope is a cornerstone of requirements gathering and must accompany a document. The project scope summarises expectations from the requirements-gathering template. Every requirement on your requirements-gathering template should fulfill these objectives:
Sets clear milestones or deadlines for the project’s process
Breaks down the costs of each requirement for a final budget
Describes a measurable and actionable progress process toward the goals
Sets guidelines for the upcoming project requirements documentation
Define the tasks a team must complete to finish the project
Every requirement you add to a requirements-gathering template must meet these criteria to be relevant for stakeholders and the project team. Templates are outlines you use to identify core scope aspects of a project. Use your template to create an easy blueprint for requirements documentation.
Good read: How to Create a Successful Requirements Management Plan
5. Assign Leading Roles to the Requirements-Gathering Template
Project requirements rely on developers, managers, and engineers following assigned roles and tasks. Put the leading role of team members in the column provided in the requirements-gathering template. It makes the entire requirements-gathering process smoother and sets the right expectations for tasks.
The cost columns in a requirements-gathering template allow you to also define expected costs to have the desired team member leading that requirement. It’s necessary for stakeholders in charge of a budget to understand where the money goes because resources are valuable.
Good read: Task Planning From Requirements Gathering
6. Get Final Approval on the Initial Requirements-Gathering Template
Gathering requirements leads to an outcome of seeking the final approval from stakeholders. Stakeholders must approve a project’s goals, requirements document, and a gathering template. It will ensure everyone remains on the same page and lets you gather feedback about the project scope.
Host a focus group once you complete your requirements-gathering template. Use the first version number without supporting documentation to gather initial feedback, which you can use to create version number two and the requirements documentation.
The initial template lets stakeholders collaborate on the technical requirements and a project’s requirements so that you can complete the supporting requirements documentation next. The project’s requirements represented on a neat template will also impress stakeholders in the focus group.
Good read: Engaging Stakeholders in Requirements and Wireframing
7. Design Project Requirements Documentation to Support a Template
Requirements documentation includes technical requirements, business requirements, project requirements, and functional requirements. Here are some requirements document types you’ll use to capture essential information and support a template:
Functional requirements documentation (FRD) – This type of requirements documentation outlines product features and functions developers implement to let users complete tasks.
Technical requirements documentation (TRD) – This type of project requirements document describes tasks developers must complete to deliver desired functions and system behaviours.
Business requirements documentation (BRD) – This form of requirements documentation represents the business goals, objectives, and requirements.
Project requirements documentation (PRD) – A project requirements document defines the entire project’s specifications, including specific goals and objectives the software must meet.
User requirements documentation (URD) – This type of requirements documentation outlines what users expect from similar software projects and programs.
Project managers gather requirements related to each documentation type to ensure they can complete requirements documentation while missing nothing essential to the project. Understanding which supporting documents you need can help you gather all the requirements necessary on a template.
Good read: How to Write a Software Requirements Document
8. Remember the Project Constraints: An Underestimated Template Influence
Project requirements include project constraints and are integral to a requirements-gathering template. Outline project requirements constraints to ensure you satisfy project sponsors completely when you present possible solutions. Some constraints you need to define in the template include:
Project risks – Gathering project requirements without listing potential risks can unravel the project scope. Outline project risks with possible methods to overcome the challenges.
Team availability – Project team members’ roles go into some requirements-gathering templates. Check whether your team is available to tackle tasks before completing requirements templates.
Resources – Gather feedback from stakeholders, including developers and engineers. Add additional resources necessary to the template as a requirement if anything is lacking.
Project dependencies – Define any task that relies on another task to complete before it can commence, and describe possible solutions to bypass this type of constraint.
The completion status of a requirements-gathering template isn’t good if you don’t consider what constraints may negatively influence the project and outline potential solutions. You can also use a focus group or requirements-gathering workshop to gather stakeholder ideas regarding solutions.
9. Update the Requirements Template Constantly
An effective requirements-gathering template has multiple version numbers because you’ll update and change the templates consistently. It’s best to save versions as different numbers in case you need access to information saved on previous versions.
For example, save a template as version one once you fill out the initial requirements. Then, save it as version two once you change the progress statuses. Again, save it as version three when you get approval from stakeholders or make changes to any column or row.
Additionally, functional requirements can change as technology changes. Even the project name can change. Keep updating the requirements-gathering template as necessary, but save each update as another version to ensure you track project progression and can find critical but misplaced information.
Good read: The Importance of Updating Requirements Documentation Throughout a Project
Summing Up Requirements-Gathering Templates
A project manager who gathers requirements effectively gives the software the greatest chance of success before the software development process commences. Stakeholders are satisfied, and the timeline allows teams to monitor and track progress more easily.
The requirements-gathering template also allows you to record the requirements document more easily and describe the overall project’s purpose in your documentation overview. You’ll achieve the best results with a requirements-gathering template for scope, success, and on-time software launches.
Define your project requirements with a requirements-gathering template, or use our Requiment software to automate the collection task and achieve optimal results. Sign up for our free trial today to achieve greatness in every planning effort when you gather new requirements.
Requirements Gathering Template FAQs
Can I Use Requirements Gathering Templates for Any Software Project?
A requirements-gathering template provides a blueprint for collecting new requirements and requirement changes to complete your project requirements document for a successful project, regardless of the project scope, timeline, or demands.
Good read: Software Development Lifecycle Requirements Gathering and Analysis
What Requirements Elicitation Techniques Should I Use?
Gathering requirements for a requirements document involves using multiple techniques, including spending time with a focus group, hosting a requirements-gathering workshop, and designing user stories. Other methods include stakeholder interviews, gathering user feedback, and observations.
Good read: Requirement Analysis Techniques
What Essential Information Should You Include on Requirements Templates?
The requirements template will provide what you need in your requirements document. So, gather requirements for the business, users, technical aspects, and functional specifications to ensure you have all the project requirements. Gather requirements with the elicitation techniques above.
Good read: Effective Requirements Documentation
What Are the Requirements-Gathering Process Steps?
The requirements-gathering process steps include:
Assign roles and identify the relevant stakeholders
Meet with the stakeholders to define business requirements and goals
List assumptions and potential solutions for the project
Define the project scope before planning progress
Gather requirements from all stakeholders, including users
Document the requirements with a detailed description of them
Get stakeholders’ approval before assigning a developer’s critical task
Good read: What Is Software Requirements Gathering?