A business requirement document is one of the essential planning tools you need to start a new project or business. With a business requirement document, you can provide general information about the project to your investors, stakeholders, and team members and present a cost-benefit analysis. A business requirement document is useful both for convincing investors and for getting approval for your project. However, writing a business requirement document is a long and challenging task. You can use BRD templates suitable for your project to ease your BRD writing process. If you are wondering how to find customizable business requirement templates compatible with your project, we’ve got you covered!

In this article, we will provide business requirement template examples and understand how to create your own custom template.

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Let’s dive in!

TL; DR

  • Business requirement documents are reports used to inform stakeholders, employees, and investors about a project or business.
  • Project requirement document templates are samples designed to facilitate the PRD writing process.
  • With business requirement document templates, you can speed up your writing process, save time, and increase document quality.
  • If you want to create a custom business requirement document template, TextCortex is the way to go.

What is a Business Requirement Document?

A business requirement document is a document that you can use to inform your employees, stakeholders, and investors about a project or business. A business requirement document should cover project budget, costs, stakeholder list, restrictions, objectives, and project scope.

What are Business Requirement Document Templates?

Business requirement document templates are editable and customizable documents designed to make it easier for you to prepare a BRD. Using business requirement document templates, you can quickly create a BRD for your existing business or project. BRD templates will save you time and guide you to write a high-quality BRD. In this way, even if you have never written a BRD before, you will quickly adapt to the process and create your first business requirement document step by step.

Benefits of Business Requirement Document Templates

The first benefit of business requirement document templates is time saving. Since BRD templates are divided into headings and sections that include all the stages, you will not waste time creating them. Moreover, you can streamline the entire writing process by filling in only the necessary blanks with information about your project or business. Some of the critical benefits of business requirement document templates include:

  • Time Saving
  • Budget Friendly
  • Enhanced Quality
  • Editable
  • Improved Productivity

Business Requirement Document Templates

If you are looking for a business requirement document template that you can customize for your latest project or business, you've come to the right place! Let's take a look at the customizable and editable business requirement document templates.

Business Requirement Document Template for Word

Here's the Business Requirements Document (BRD) template generated by TextCortex. This provides the bare structure and descriptions, ready for you to populate with your specific project information.

Document Title: Business Requirements Document - [Project Name]
Version: [Document Version Number, e.g., 1.0, 1.1, 2.0]
Date: [Date of Last Revision]
Author: [Your Name/Team Name]
1. Executive Summary
  • Purpose: Provide a high-level overview of the project, its objectives, and the key benefits it will deliver. This should be concise and easily understood by all stakeholders, even those who are not deeply involved in the details. Think of it as an elevator pitch for the project.
  • Content:
    • Project Overview: A brief description of the project. What problem are we trying to solve? What opportunity are we trying to capture?
    • Objectives: Summarize the main goals of the project. (Refer to the detailed objectives in Section 2).
    • Key Benefits: Highlight the most important positive outcomes expected from the project. Quantify where possible.
    • Target Audience: Who are the primary users or beneficiaries of this project?
    • Recommendation: A clear statement recommending whether or not to proceed with the project based on the initial assessment.
2. Project Objectives
  • Purpose: Clearly define the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that the project will accomplish.
  • Content:
    • Objective 1: [Specific Objective] 
      • Description: Detailed explanation of the objective.
      • Measurement: How will we know if we've achieved this objective? (e.g., Key Performance Indicator (KPI), metric).
      • Target: What is the desired level of achievement?
      • Timeline: When must this objective be achieved?
    • Objective 2: [Specific Objective] 
      • Description: Detailed explanation of the objective.
      • Measurement: How will we know if we've achieved this objective? (e.g., Key Performance Indicator (KPI), metric).
      • Target: What is the desired level of achievement?
      • Timeline: When must this objective be achieved?
    • (Add more objectives as needed)
3. Project Scope
  • Purpose: Clearly define the boundaries of the project – what is included and, equally important, what is not included. This helps manage expectations and prevent scope creep.
  • Content:
    • In Scope: Detailed description of the features, functionalities, deliverables, and processes that are part of the project. Be specific.
    • Out of Scope: Explicitly state what is not included in the project. This is crucial for managing expectations and preventing misunderstandings.
    • Assumptions: List any assumptions that the project is based on.
    • Dependencies: Identify any dependencies on other projects, systems, or resources.
4. Business Requirements
  • Purpose: This is the core of the BRD. It details the specific needs of the business that the project must fulfill. These requirements should be clear, concise, and testable. Use a structured format to organize them.
  • Content: (Use a table or numbered list to organize requirements)
    • Requirement ID: (Unique identifier for each requirement, e.g., BR-001, BR-002)
    • Requirement Name: (Short, descriptive name)
    • Description: (Detailed explanation of the requirement. What needs to happen? Why is it needed?)
    • Priority: (High, Medium, Low) Indicates the importance of the requirement to the success of the project.
    • Stakeholder: (Who is the primary stakeholder for this requirement?)
    • Acceptance Criteria: (Specific conditions that must be met for the requirement to be considered fulfilled. This should be testable.)
5. Stakeholder List
  • Purpose: Identify all individuals or groups who have an interest in the project or will be affected by its outcome. Understanding stakeholders is essential for effective communication and project success.
  • Content:
    • Name: (Stakeholder's Name)
    • Role/Title: (Stakeholder's Position)
    • Department: (Stakeholder's Department)
    • Contact Information: (Email, Phone)
    • Interest/Influence: (Brief description of their interest in the project and their level of influence)
    • Communication Needs: (How often should they be updated? What type of information do they need?)
6. Project Constraints
  • Purpose: Identify any limitations or restrictions that could impact the project's execution, scope, or timeline. Addressing constraints early is crucial for realistic planning.
  • Content:
    • Budgetary Constraints:
    • Time Constraints:
    • Resource Constraints:
    • Technical Constraints:
    • Regulatory Constraints:
    • Other Constraints:
7. Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Purpose: Evaluate the financial viability of the project by comparing the expected costs with the anticipated benefits. This helps justify the investment and prioritize projects.
  • Content:
    • Costs: 
      • Development Costs:
      • Implementation Costs:
      • Ongoing Costs:
      • Total Costs: (Summarize all costs)
    • Benefits: 
      • Increased Revenue:
      • Cost Savings:
      • Improved Efficiency:
      • Increased Customer Satisfaction:
      • Other Benefits:
      • Total Benefits: (Summarize all benefits)
    • Return on Investment (ROI): (Calculate the ROI using a standard formula: (Total Benefits - Total Costs) / Total Costs * 100%)
    • Payback Period: (Estimate the time it will take for the project to recoup its initial investment.)
    • Net Present Value (NPV): (Optional but recommended for larger projects. Calculates the present value of future cash flows.)
    • Conclusion: (A summary of the cost-benefit analysis, stating whether the project is financially viable and recommended.)

Business Requirements Document (BRD) Template - Excel Workbook Structure

Here’s a Business Requirements Document (BRD) structure laid out for use in Microsoft Excel generated by TextCortex.

Sheet 1: Executive Summary
This sheet provides a high-level overview of the project. It is primarily text-based.
  • Document Title: Business Requirements Document - [Project Name]
  • Version: [Document Version Number, e.g., 1.0, 1.1, 2.0]
  • Date: [Date of Last Revision]
  • Author: [Your Name/Team Name]
  • Project Overview: [Enter a brief description of the project here. What problem are we trying to solve? What opportunity are we trying to capture?]
  • Objectives (Summary): [Summarize the main goals of the project here. Refer to the detailed objectives on the "Project Objectives" sheet.]
  • Key Benefits (Summary): [Highlight the most important positive outcomes expected from the project here. Quantify where possible.]
  • Target Audience: [Who are the primary users or beneficiaries of this project?]
  • Recommendation: [A clear statement recommending whether or not to proceed with the project based on the initial assessment.]
Sheet 2: Project Objectives
This sheet details the specific objectives of the project.
Objective #DescriptionMeasurement (KPI)TargetTimeline1[Enter detailed description of Objective 1][Enter how objective will be measured][Enter desired level of achievement][Enter the due date]2[Enter detailed description of Objective 2][Enter how objective will be measured][Enter desired level of achievement][Enter the due date]3[Enter detailed description of Objective 3][Enter how objective will be measured][Enter desired level of achievement][Enter the due date]...(Continue as needed)...............
Sheet 3: Project Scope
This sheet defines the boundaries of the project.  It is primarily text-based.
  • In Scope: [Detailed description of what IS included in the project.]
  • Out of Scope: [Explicitly state what is NOT included in the project.]
  • Assumptions: [List any assumptions that the project is based on.]
  • Dependencies: [Identify any dependencies on other projects, systems, or resources.]
Sheet 4: Business Requirements
This sheet lists the specific business requirements for the project.
Requirement IDRequirement NameDescriptionPriority (H/M/L)StakeholderAcceptance CriteriaBR-001[Short name][Detailed explanation]H/M/L[Stakeholder Name][Testable Conditions]BR-002[Short name][Detailed explanation]H/M/L[Stakeholder Name][Testable Conditions]...(Continue as needed)..................
Sheet 5: Stakeholder List
This sheet identifies and describes the key stakeholders involved in the project.
NameRole/TitleDepartmentContact InformationInterest/InfluenceCommunication Needs[Stakeholder Name][Job Title][Department Name][Email/Phone][Brief Description][How often/What Info][Stakeholder Name][Job Title][Department Name][Email/Phone][Brief Description][How often/What Info]...(Continue as needed)..................
Sheet 6: Project Constraints
This sheet lists the limitations that may impact the project.
Constraint TypeDescriptionBudgetary Constraints[Describe Budget Limit]Time Constraints[Describe Time Limit]Resource Constraints[Describe Resource Limit]Technical Constraints[Describe Technical Limit]Regulatory Constraints[Describe Regulatory Limit]Other Constraints[Describe Other Limit]...(Continue as needed)......
Sheet 7: Cost-Benefit Analysis
This sheet provides a summary of the project's costs and benefits.
  • Costs
    • Development Costs: [Software, Hardware, etc.] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Implementation Costs: [Training, Migration, etc.] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Ongoing Costs (Year 1): [Maintenance, Support, etc.] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Total Costs (Year 1): Calculated Sum
  • Benefits (Year 1)
    • Increased Revenue: [Describe source] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Cost Savings: [Describe savings] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Improved Efficiency: [Describe impact] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Increased Customer Satisfaction: [Describe impact] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Other Benefits: [Describe benefit] - [Dollar Amount]
    • Total Benefits (Year 1): Calculated Sum
  • Financial Metrics
    • ROI (Year 1): Calculated Percentage
    • Payback Period: [Estimate]
    • NPV (Optional): [Dollar Amount]
  • Conclusion: [A summary of the cost-benefit analysis and recommendation.]
Key Considerations:
  • Data Consistency: Strive for consistency across all data entries. Consider using predefined lists or formats where appropriate (e.g., for Priority levels).
  • Formulas: Use formulas to automate calculations whenever possible. The Cost-Benefit Analysis sheet provides examples.
  • Analysis: Utilize filtering and sorting features (if this is still in Excel) to analyze requirements, stakeholders, and other data.
  • Formatting: Use clear and consistent formatting to enhance readability.
  • Limitations of Excel: Recognize that Excel has limitations for large or complex projects. Dedicated requirements management tools may be more suitable in such cases.
  • Collaboration:  Employ shared cloud storage to facilitate collaboration and version control.
This template provides a structured approach to documenting business requirements within an Excel workbook. Remember to tailor the sheet content and columns to the specific needs of your project.

Business Requirement Document Example

Here is the example content from each section of the Business Requirements Document (BRD) template:

Word Document Template: Business Requirements Document (BRD) - EXAMPLES ONLY
Document Title: Business Requirements Document - [Project Name]
Version: [Document Version Number, e.g., 1.0, 1.1, 2.0]
Date: [Date of Last Revision]
Author: [Your Name/Team Name]
1. Executive Summary
  • Example:
"This document outlines the business requirements for the 'Customer Loyalty Program Revamp' project. The project aims to increase customer retention and drive revenue growth by modernizing our existing loyalty program. Key benefits include a 20% increase in customer loyalty program participation and a 10% increase in repeat purchases. We recommend proceeding with this project as it aligns with our strategic goals and offers significant potential return on investment. This revamped program will primarily target existing customers who are looking for more personalized rewards."
2. Project Objectives
  • Example:
    • Objective 1: Increase Customer Loyalty Program Enrollment.
      • Description: To significantly increase the number of customers actively participating in our loyalty program.
      • Measurement: Number of enrolled loyalty program members.
      • Target: Increase enrollment by 25% within the first six months of launch.
      • Timeline: Six months after launch date.
    • Objective 2: Improve Customer Retention Rate.
      • Description: To reduce customer churn and increase the duration of customer relationships.
      • Measurement: Customer retention rate (percentage of customers retained over a specific period).
      • Target: Increase customer retention rate by 5% year-over-year.
      • Timeline: One year after launch date.
3. Project Scope
  • Example:
    • In Scope: 
      • Development of a new mobile app for loyalty program members.
      • Integration with existing CRM systems to track customer data.
      • Implementation of a points-based reward system.
      • Creation of marketing materials to promote the revamped program.
    • Out of Scope: 
      • Development of a new CRM system.
      • Integration with third-party loyalty programs.
      • Translation of the app into languages other than English and Spanish.
    • Assumptions: 
      • The marketing team will provide the copy for all marketing materials.
    • Dependencies: 
      • The development team needs access to the API for the current customer database.
4. Business Requirements
  • Example:
Requirement ID
Requirement Name
Description
Priority
Stakeholder
Acceptance Criteria
BR-001
Customer Login
Customers must be able to log in to the loyalty program app using their existing website credentials.
High
Marketing, Customer Service
Users can successfully log in using valid website username/password. Password reset functionality is available.
BR-002
Points Accrual
Customers should automatically accrue points for every purchase made online or in-store.
High
Sales, Finance
Points are correctly calculated and credited to customer accounts within 24 hours of purchase.
BR-003
Reward Redemption
Customers must be able to redeem points for a variety of rewards, including discounts, free products, and exclusive experiences.
High
Marketing
Customers can successfully redeem points for available rewards through the app and website.
BR-004
Personalized Offers
The system should generate personalized offers based on customer purchase history and preferences.
Medium
Marketing
Personalized offers are displayed to customers based on their purchase history, with at least three different offer types available.
5. Stakeholder List
  • Example:
Name
Role/Title
Department
Contact Information
Interest/Influence
Communication Needs
John Smith
VP of Marketing
Marketing
[email protected]
High - Responsible for program promotion and success
Weekly progress reports, key decisions
Jane Doe
Customer Service Manager
Customer Service
[email protected]
High - Responsible for handling customer inquiries
Weekly updates, training materials
David Lee
CFO
Finance
[email protected]
Medium - Concerned with project budget and ROI
Monthly budget reports
6. Project Constraints
  • Example:
    • Budgetary Constraints: The total budget for the project cannot exceed $50,000.
    • Time Constraints: The mobile app must be launched before the holiday season (November 1st).
    • Resource Constraints: The internal development team has other priorities and can only dedicate 50% of their time to this project.
    • Technical Constraints: The new loyalty program system must integrate seamlessly with our existing e-commerce platform.
7. Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Example: (This is a simplified example. A full cost-benefit analysis would be more detailed.)
Costs:
  • Development Costs: $25,000
  • Implementation Costs: $5,000
  • Ongoing Costs (Yearly): $2,000
  • Total Costs (First Year): $32,000
Benefits:
  • Increased Revenue (First Year): $50,000
  • Cost Savings (Improved Efficiency): $5,000
  • Total Benefits (First Year): $55,000
ROI (First Year): ($55,000 - $32,000) / $32,000 * 100% = 71.88% Payback Period: Approximately 7 months. Conclusion: The cost-benefit analysis indicates that the project is financially viable and is expected to provide a significant return on investment within the first year. We recommend proceeding with the project.

Create Custom BRD Templates via TextCortex

If you want to create custom templates for your business requirement documents, TextCortex is the solution for you. With TextCortex, you can generate templates for a wide range of documentation, including business requirement documents, using just the prompting method. If you want to generate customized, specific documents for your business or project, TextCortex's knowledge base is the solution you’re looking for!

You can upload or connect documents related to your project or business to TextCortex's knowledge bases. Then, you can use these documents to generate templates, topics, sections, paragraphs, and tables for all your documentation, including business requirement documents (BRD). What’s more, TextCortex offers an AI agent builder that works integrated with knowledge bases. You can use TextCortex AI agent builder to automate your repetitive business tasks and upgrade your business to a whole new level.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to write a business requirement document?

If you want to create a business requirement document and aim to simplify the process, you can use a BRD template. BRD templates determine the sections and topics for you, speed up your writing process and increase the quality of the final output. If you want to create a custom BRD for your projects and business ideas, you can use TextCortex.

What is a BRD sample?

A business requirement document is a report detailing everything about a new project or business for success. A BRD sample is an example version of this document prepared with false information.

Who prepares business requirement documents?

Business requirement documents are prepared by a business analyst or project manager who understands the business needs, objectives, limitations, and goals well.