From the course: Business Analysis Foundations

Validating the requirements

From the course: Business Analysis Foundations

Validating the requirements

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- The final step that each and every requirement must go through is the actual validation or acceptance of the result. Now, verification is when we check conformance to the specifications that were provided. Validation, on the other hand, is the process where we confirm that the result meets two things, one, the acceptance criteria and, two, the needs of the stakeholder. Creating acceptance criteria at the appropriate level of detail is not easy for either the business analyst or the stakeholder. Most methods encourage the identification of the acceptance criteria as the requirement or user story is being initially written. A more effective method of understanding the criteria to be used for acceptance is through continuous discussion and review between the business analyst, the developer, and the stakeholder as the result is being developed. A tool often used to help this process is a responsibility matrix, often in a RACI format, where the approving stakeholder can be identified for each requirement. It's also useful to see if other stakeholders should be included or consulted in the validation process, as well as those who need to be informed of the status of the approval process. Too often, when we get to this final approval step, we realize that either the acceptance criteria was not sufficient and well understood or, in some cases, actually missing. The traceability matrix becomes a key tool to help ensure that all requirements are completed and accepted. This is a really good time to be picky. You want to make sure your requirements are in good order. That way, your efforts are more likely to find success.

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