The right questions to the right person, in the right place, at the right time… One of the most important prerequisites for a successful IT software project and the right software solution is to conduct an effective business analysis. Good business analysis is only possible with the right questions. I wrote the Business Analysis Questions for Software Solutions as a supportive reference for conducting successful business analysis studies. It is not only for the analysts at the beginning of their careers but also for the experienced ones.

1. THE BUSINESS ANALYSIS QUESTIONS FOR SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS SERIES
HOW TO GATHER SOFTWARE PRODUCT
REQUIREMENTS FOR IT SOLUTIONS

2. The right questions to the right
person,
in the right place,
at the right time…

3. AGENDA
 User and User Role
 Users
 Roles
 Non-human Roles
 Functionality
 Functional Requirements
 Business Processes
 Business Rules
 User Interface
 Screens
 Navigations
 Notifications
 Business Objects and Data
 Entities
 Attributes
 Data

4.  Users
 Roles
 Non-human Roles
USER AND
USER ROLE

5. USERS
⁃ Who will use the software's functions, screens, and features?
⁃ Who will do the data entry?
⁃ Who will be able to edit the data?
⁃ Who will be able to delete data in the software?
⁃ Who will receive information from the software?
⁃ Who will benefit from the final product?
For more visit

6. USER ROLES
⁃ What are the user role characteristics and preferences?
⁃ What is the number of users that will be included in the user
role?
⁃ Are there differences in language, culture, and location
related to the user role?
⁃ What is the scale of experience of the users in the user role?
⁃ What is the skill level of the target user group?
⁃ What are the expectations of the users in the user role
group?
For more visit

7. NON-HUMAN ROLES
 Are there other systems that receive information from the
software or trigger one of its functions? If so, what are they?
⁃ Is there a sensor or other hardware that a function of the
software is associated with? If so, which ones?
⁃ Are there any functions in the software that operate automatically
depending on time?
For more visit

8. CHECKLIST
⁃ Do I have a general idea of the users and user roles of the
software product?
⁃ Was I able to identify who my stakeholders are that I will be
working with to define the user roles?
⁃ Was I able to gather information about user roles from all
identified stakeholders?
⁃ Have I identified the sensitive issues, indispensables, and
regulatory elements related to user roles?
⁃ Was I able to determine the next steps in the user role
analysis?
⁃ Did I assign users for each function in the software/system?
⁃ Did I check if there are users who are not assigned to any
function in the system/software?
For more visit

9.  Functional Requirements
 Business Processes
 Business Rules
FUNCTIONALITY

10. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
⁃ What tasks that are currently done manually can be
automated?
⁃ What can be done to more effectively perform the work that
is being done?
⁃ What gets done at the beginning of a normal workday?
⁃ What gets done at the end of a normal workday?
⁃ What are the weekly tasks?
⁃ What tasks are most critical and important?
⁃ Should the software have features such as bulk data import
and export? If so, what are they?
⁃ Will the software have a home page?
For more visit

11. BUSINESS PROCESSES
⁃ What are the routines (process flows) in the workplace?
⁃ What are the key processes covered by the software?
⁃ Which processes are typically performed by users?
⁃ How long should it take to complete a process?
⁃ Is a transaction history required? If so, what information
needs to be kept?
⁃ What are the metrics of the process that need to be tracked?
For more visit

12. BUSINESS RULES
 What is the trigger of the function? Who triggers it?
• What are the pre-conditions for the function to start?
• Are there any restrictions on the function? If so, what are those?
• Are there any controls, calculations, algorithms within the
function? If so, what are they?
• To which users should these notifications be forwarded?
• Through which channels should the notifications be forwarded?
• What changes will be made to the system after the function is
executed? What situations might the system be in?
• If the function is for searching, listing, and filtering;
• What are the default sorting criteria? For more visit

13.  Screens
 Navigations
 Notifications
USER INTERFACE

14. SCREENS
⁃ For which device, screen resolution and platform are the
interfaces created? (Desktop, web, tablet, smartphone, kiosk,
etc.).
⁃ Does the company have general guidelines for interfaces?
⁃ Are there restrictions on interfaces that must be followed for
compliance or legal reasons? If so, what are they?
⁃ What help will be provided to the user? How will users get
help on the functions and operations within a software?
⁃ Are there screens that need to be developed in master/detail
form? If so, what are they?
For more visit

15. NAVIGATION
⁃ What assumptions are the solution and project based on?
⁃ What can be done to clarify these assumptions?
⁃ Who are the sources of the assumptions?
For more visit

16. NOTIFICATIONS
⁃ If this feature is terminated, is it necessary to send a
notification to a user or group of users?
⁃ What will be the content and format of the notification to be
sent?
⁃ Through which channel will the notification be sent? (Email,
SMS, push notification.)
⁃ What are the functions without UI? What requirements do
they have for the notification?
For more visit

17.  Entities
 Attributes
 Data
BUSINESS OBJECTS
AND DATA

18. ENTITIES
⁃ What are the primary parties (customers, suppliers,
employees, etc.)?
⁃ What are the primary things (products, tasks, materials,
vehicles)?
⁃ What are the primary locations (sites, facilities, etc.)?
⁃ What are your primary business activities (visits, calls, sales,
purchases, withdrawals)?
⁃ What changes in data are recorded?
⁃ What movement and history information is stored in the
system?
For more visit

19. ATTRIBUTES
⁃ What information do we need to keep about this entity?
⁃ What is the information that makes the entity unique?
⁃ What information should the entity contain other than user
input so that it can be generated by the system?
⁃ What is the purpose of this entity?
⁃ Who uses this entity and why?
⁃ What processes and functions use this entity?
⁃ Is any state information kept in this entity? If so, what
information?
For more visit

20. DATA
⁃ You can use the following sample questions to determine the
master data elements of your software.
⁃ What is the most important business information you should
use to support transactions?
⁃ What information should be used to classify transaction
data?
⁃ What information should be used to classify master data?
⁃ What is the data that supports the main business activities in
your system?
⁃ What information is received in your day-to-day operations,
and what information is produced?
⁃ What information is received and produced in your weekly,
monthly, yearly, and other transactions?
For more visit

21. kadir.camoglu@gmail.com
THANK YOU!
 2000+ sample questions
 4 categories (vision-scope, business analysis, software
product, and non-functional requirements)
 300 sample requirements
 25 checklists
 22 exercises
The right questions to the right person, in the
right place, at the right time…
One of the most important prerequisites for a
successful IT software project and the right
software solution is to conduct an effective
business analysis. A good business analysis is only
possible with the right questions. I wrote the
Business Analysis Questions for Software
Solutions as a supportive reference for
conducting successful business analysis studies.
It is not only for the analysts at the beginning of
their careers but also for the experienced ones.
For more …