Free Business Requirements Document Templates

By Joe Weller | November 18, 2021

We’ve compiled the most useful collection of free business requirements document templates for project management, software development, business analysis, information technology (IT), and more departments. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a business requirements documents template, an Agile business requirements document template, a software development business requirements document template, and a project management business document template. We also provide a list of helpful tips for completing these templates.

Business Requirements Document Template

Business Requirements Document Template

Download Business Requirements Document Template 

Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Google Sheets  

Use this business requirements document (BRD) template to define the components of a proposed project that will resolve a critical business need. This comprehensive, easy-to-fill template includes multiple sections for you to capture the research, requirements, and any proposed activities that your business must undertake to meet your organization’s objectives. Once completed, the template will help you evaluate your current vs. proposed processes, weigh resource needs, and gain buy-in from key stakeholders and project sponsors. 

For details on functional specification requirements — and how they relate to business requirements — read this article on business requirements.

Agile Business Requirements Document Template

Agile Business Requirements Document Template

Download Agile Business Requirements Document Template
Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs

Agile teams can use this detailed business requirements document template to improve their organization’s release practices by proposing a process or product change. The template includes sections to detail project scope, current process, proposed process, cost benefit analysis, resources, schedule, timeline, milestones, and assumptions. Use the template to align all of your proposed Agile goals, and accurately capture your requirements within a sturdy framework.

Sample Business Requirements Document Template

Sample Business Requirements Document Template

Download Sample Business Requirements Document Template
Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

This sample business requirements document template comes with pre-filled example text, which you can edit to effectively capture the details of a crucial business improvement, assess your current process, and propose a clear and logical solution that your organization should adopt. This template serves as a model for what information you should include — and how to include it — to create well-rounded and successful business requirements for any industry.

Software Development Business Requirements Template

Software Development Business Requirements Template

Download Software Development Business Requirements Template

Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Use this customizable template to create effective business requirements for your software projects. In the Introduction section, provide an overview of your software business requirements, including purpose, references, scope, definitions, acronyms and abbreviations, references, and document conventions. In the Requirements section, enter requirements for user interfaces, hardware interfaces, functional requirements, performance requirements, security, and usability.

For solutions and resources to ensure that you optimize your software technical requirements, read our article on how to write technical requirements documents.

Simple Business Requirements Document Template

Simple Business Requirements Document Template

Download Simple Business Requirements Document Template

Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Use this template to write compelling, streamlined business requirements. Provide a brief executive summary, which serves as a snapshot of your project, and then include a project description, project scope, business drivers, current process, proposed process, and your project’s functional requirements. The template also includes Glossary, References, and Document History sections to ensure that all team members and stakeholders can refer to your project’s terminology and additional sources, as well as keep tabs on your requirements’ versioning status before development begins.

Technical Business Requirements Document Template

Technical Business Requirements Document Template

Download Technical Business Requirements Template

Microsoft Excel | Adobe PDF

Use this template to create detail-rich technical business requirements for your technical projects. Enter project name, document tracking details (to circumvent any version control issues), and project overview information to align all contributors’ project expectations. The template also includes Functional Requirements, Reporting Requirements, Security Requirements, Technical Process Flow, Considerations, and Addendums & Appendices sections to ensure that you address all necessary business requirement components. 

For technical specifications templates in particular, check out this article with free technical specification templates.

Business Analysis Requirements Document Template

Business Analysis Requirements Document Template

Download Business Analysis Requirements Document Template

Microsoft Word | Google Docs 

Designed for deep-dive analysis, this template provides a rich structure for your organization’s business requirements. Use this template to compare first-round business requirements with what is feasible, and adjust your requirements accordingly. Provide details about your project’s purpose, product context, operating environment, general constraints, assumptions, design and implementation, and functional requirements — all to ensure that your company’s business requirements are successful upon implementation.

For more on business analysis requirements, read this article, which includes free functional specification templates.

Project Management Business Requirements Document Template

Project Management Business Requirements Document Template

Download Project Management Business Requirements Document Template

Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word | Google Docs 

The most successful businesses can be distinguished by their competitors by their sound business requirements alone. Think of business requirements as a script for a movie — without a solid script, you don’t have much. To create a strong script, you need to ensure that solid project management oversees your business requirements. Use this project management business requirements document to ensure that the business requirements match your product.

For a comprehensive guide to understanding regulations that affect businesses, read this 101-level guide to regulatory compliance.

IT Business Requirements Document Template

IT Business Requirements Document Template

Download IT Business Requirements Document Template

Microsoft Excel | Adobe PDF

Ensure that your information technology (IT) business requirements for projects are accurate and up to date with this unique template. Enter high-level details, including a proposed solution and business reasoning for your project, as well as project objectives, business cases, risks, and out-of-scope elements. This template offers a Technical Design Diagram section for you to illustrate all required technical resources, as well as IT-specific sections — including Connection & Location, Servers & Storage & Networks, and Critical Ancillary Equipment & Connections sections — to ensure that your IT business requirements are up and running soon.

Business Requirements Checklist Template

Business Requirements Checklist Template

Download Business Requirements Checklist Template

Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets

Use this template to ensure that you account for all business requirements. The template includes sample text to guide you through the project initiation, requirements discovery and research, requirements analysis, use case analysis, and summary plan document details for your business requirements. The Progress column helps you track the status of each business requirement, so that you can update them on your way to creating fully functional, dynamic business requirements for your projects.

What Is a Business Requirements Document Template?

A business requirements document (BRD) template provides a framework to offer stakeholders the logistical details of a proposed project. A BRD template includes project scope, business drivers, proposed process, and functional requirements to demonstrate your project’s sound footing prior to development.  

While functional requirements serve as an outline for the specific steps for how a project will be delivered, business requirements inform team members and other collaborators or project sponsors what the proposed project is and why it is necessary for your business. Business requirements also include project benefits, project scope, and how the team should execute the project. 

In short, a business requirements template provides a comprehensive structure for proposing your project objectives and making sure that all team members and stakeholders have a good understanding of the project specifications and planned value.

A business requirement template typically includes the following sections for each component of your proposed project: 

  • Project Name: Provide a name for your project’s business requirements. 
  • Executive Summary: Provide an overview of your business requirements, including brief descriptions of any research conducted, findings, project description, scope, business drivers, current process, proposed process, and a brief rundown of the project’s functional requirements.  
  • Project Description: Provide a description of the project for which you are writing your BRD, including the project’s purpose, challenges, and reasons for undertaking the project.
  • Project Scope: Provide a high-level overview of project scope, including a list of project-specific goals, tasks, deliverables, costs, and deadlines. 
  • Business Drivers: Provide the reasons why your business is initiating the project (e.g., to improve sales, legal requirements, cost savings with a more efficient practice, improved efficiency)?
  • Current Process: Provide details of your current process for addressing the primary issue your proposed project will address. Include diagrams, flowcharts, or other visuals to illustrate your current process. 
  • Proposed Process: Provide details of your proposed process for addressing the primary issue your project will attempt to solve. Include diagrams, flowcharts, or other visuals to illustrate your proposed process. 
  • Functional Requirements: Provide details of the project’s functional requirements, including definitions of how the current process addresses the issue and your proposed functional requirements for the project to succeed. 
  • Non-Functional Requirements: Provide details of all of your project’s non-functional requirements (NFRs), such as features, system behavior, and project characteristics that relate to user experience. 

Additionally, business requirements document templates often include the following proposed project details: 

  • Business Case: Provide details of the problems that the project will solve. Detail who or what the project will impact, as well as the business benefits. 
  • Risks: Provide details of any identified risks to the project.
  • Glossary: Provide any terms, abbreviations, or acronyms included in your business requirements for easy reference. 
  • References: Provide any links to all resources (websites, documents, etc.) referenced in your business requirements. 
  • Appendix: Provide any additional information for reference, including process details, analysis results, studies, third-party examples, etc.
  • Document History: Provide document version details, including a unique version number, the date changes were made, details of the changes, and the name of the individual who made the changes to the business requirements.

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