How do you define the roles and responsibilities of a requirements analyst?

1 Eliciting requirements

The first role of a requirements analyst is to elicit the requirements from various sources, such as stakeholders, users, documents, existing systems, or market research. Eliciting requirements involves asking the right questions, listening actively, observing behaviors, and facilitating workshops or interviews. The requirements analyst needs to have good communication, interpersonal, and analytical skills, as well as domain knowledge and business acumen.

2 Analyzing requirements

The second role of a requirements analyst is to analyze the requirements and ensure that they are clear, consistent, complete, feasible, and testable. Analyzing requirements involves breaking down complex problems, identifying dependencies and constraints, resolving conflicts, and prioritizing needs. The requirements analyst needs to have good problem-solving, critical thinking, and modeling skills, as well as technical knowledge and tools.

3 Validating requirements

The third role of a requirements analyst is to validate the requirements and ensure that they meet the expectations and needs of the stakeholders and users. Validating requirements involves reviewing, verifying, and validating the requirements with the relevant parties, as well as conducting tests, prototypes, or simulations. The requirements analyst needs to have good quality assurance, feedback, and negotiation skills, as well as stakeholder management and user involvement.

4 Managing requirements

The fourth role of a requirements analyst is to manage the requirements and ensure that they are aligned with the project scope, objectives, and changes. Managing requirements involves documenting, tracing, baselining, and controlling the requirements throughout the project lifecycle. The requirements analyst needs to have good documentation, organization, and change management skills, as well as project management and governance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?