Requirements for an MDM Solution: A proven approach for how to gather, document, and manage requirements for a Master Data Management solution from Inception through Implementation

Working on Requirements for a Master Data Management solution and looking for thoughts on how to approach the requirements? You may be able to leverage this guide!

The focus of this guide is to highlight a proven approach for requirements gathering and documentation for Master Data Management solutions. Requirements gathering and documentation activities are similar, regardless of the type of solution. What differs is the approach, the emphasis of specific activities, and the content of work products. MDM projects do not come along often; this guide can serve as a roadmap for how to approach requirements for an MDM solution.

The guide begins with a brief overview of Master Data Management. The guide then steps through the requirements activities and work products for each Solution Development Lifecycle phase. The requirements work products are described, along with an example of each work product. Below is a summary of the phases and primary work products produced:

• Alignment: where the Business Requirements, including solution Features are defined
• Solution Scoping: where the Solution Requirements, including Information Requirements, Business Rules, and Epics (Functions), are defined
• Functional Requirements: where a given Epic (Function) is elaborated on, including inputs, outputs, data updates, business rules, an activity diagram, and associated User Stories
• User Stories: where Acceptance Criteria is defined

Keys to success are identified for the various phases. In addition, for Solution Scoping, there is a section which focuses on how to approach, plan, and track Solution Scoping. Finally, there is an overview of Change Management and Traceability.

The guide contains 46 illustrations, 32 of which are examples of work products. It includes many visual work products, which help to ensure a consistent understanding of the solution.

The guide assumes some familiarity with requirements gathering techniques and work products; it does not focus on techniques. The guide demonstrates how to structure the various requirements activities, to successfully gather and document requirements for an MDM solution. The guide also does not focus on formulating an MDM Business Case, MDM Architecture, or technical system requirements. The guide is intended to assist requirements analysts in formulating an approach for how to gather and document requirements for a Master Data Management solution.