Over the years, I’ve worked with organisations of all shapes and sizes, helping them make technology work better for their teams. One thing I see time and time again? Projects stumble because the requirements weren’t nailed down at the start.
It’s common for someone in sales, marketing, operations, or finance to suddenly find themselves leading a major system change. They’re smart and motivated, so they dive in. But enthusiasm alone doesn’t guarantee success. What does? Getting the setup right, and that starts with clear, outcome-focused requirements.
Why Good Written Requirements Matter
Poor requirements are one of the biggest risks to any technology project. They lead to confusion, rework, and delays. In environments chasing “Agile,” teams often jump straight into user stories (with minimal knowledge of how to write them) and sprints without a shared understanding of what the business actually needs.
Even worse, requirements are often written from a solution point of view:
“We need a button that lets the sales team send an email.”
Sounds specific, but it’s not helpful. It assumes the solution (a button) without explaining the underlying need. A better requirement focuses on the outcome:
“Sales reps need to send a pre-approved follow-up email to prospects after a demo, with minimal effort and tracked in the CRM.”
This gives your technology team context so they can design the best solution, which might not be a button at all.
How to Write Requirements That Work
- Describe the need, not the solution. Your job is to explain the problem or outcome, not dictate how it should be solved.
- Use real examples. Show what’s happening today and what’s not working. Context matters.
- Focus on outcomes. What does success look like? What should the system enable that it doesn’t today?
- Keep it clear. Avoid jargon unless you’re confident in it. Plain language beats tech-speak every time.
If you’re wondering whether your requirements are truly ready, here’s a quick way to check: use the Rock-Solid Requirement Checklist below to make sure every requirement is clear, complete, and outcome-focused.
Rock-Solid Requirement Checklist
1. Is it clear and unambiguous?
✘ Bad: “Make order history easy to see.” (Too vague, what does “easy” mean?)
✔ Good: “Customer service agents need to view a customer’s full order history in one screen.”
2. Does it describe the need, not the solution?
✘ Bad: “Add an ‘Approve’ button on the dashboard.” (Prescribes a solution instead of stating the need.)
✔ Good: “Managers need to approve expense claims quickly and securely.”
3. Is there context?
✘ Bad: “Enable expense approvals.” (No context — why is this needed?)
✔ Good: “Currently, expense approvals require printing and manual signatures, causing delays of up to 5 days. Managers need a faster, digital process.”
4. Is it outcome-focused?
✘ Bad: “Create a leave request form.” (Focuses on a feature, not the outcome.)
✔ Good: “Employees should be able to submit leave requests online and receive approval within 24 hours.”
5. Is it testable?
✘ Bad: “Make invoice uploads quick.” (Not measurable, what does “quick” mean?)
✔ Good: “The system must allow users to upload invoices in PDF format and confirm successful upload within 5 seconds.”
6. Is it free of jargon?
✘ Bad: “Enable SMTP relay for outbound comms.” (Technical jargon that non-technical stakeholders may not understand.)
✔ Good: “Sales reps need to send follow-up emails after demos, tracked in the CRM.”
7. Is it complete?
✘ Bad: “Support multiple currencies.” (Incomplete, which currencies? What about tax?)
✔ Good: “The system must support multi-currency transactions for USD, EUR, and AUD, including tax calculations for each region.”
8. Is it consistent with other requirements?
✘ Bad: “Finance needs approval for every transaction” vs “Sales needs instant order processing.” (Conflicting requirements.)
✔ Good: “Finance requires compliance checks for high-value transactions; sales needs fast processing for standard orders.”
Getting requirements right isn’t glamorous, but it’s the foundation of a successful technology project. Do it well, and you’ll save time and money, reduce risk, and deliver real value.
Author
Elliott Lovejoy-Hall | Co-founder | Quadrivium
Quadrivium 
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