Continuing the topic of getting to shared understanding of business requirement, here is the next tip: use consistent terminology.
Define the terms, publish and share the definitions in a glossary or business dictionary.
Then, promote the correct terms. As a business analyst, you are in the right position to enforce consistency – provided you practice what you preach!
A simple term like customer can generate many interpretations, with consequences. Misunderstandings can lead to defects, unexpected behaviour, even privacy breaches. A set of business rules may be required to support fundamental definitions.
Do I get customer treatment if I stopped buying your products two years ago?
Is each contact name of a business client a customer?
If you send me an offer every six months, but I never respond, do you count me as a customer?
Do I need to be a client to choose a preferred language of communication?
If I request a quote, then change my legal name and request another quote, am I the same customer?
What if I sold my VIP business – does the new owner get preferred treatment that I used to get, or will I keep my VIP client status?
You may need to ask a few questions to extract the right definition – consider this a good investment.
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