Business requirements document template

A project launch can unravel fast when no one agrees on what “done” means. Team members may rush into development without defining the business objectives, scope, or deliverables, and by the time milestones start to slip, it’s unclear where things went off track. A business requirements document template (BRD) prevents these issues by coordinating teams on what needs to be built, why it matters, and how project success will be measured.

Instead of managing project requirements in spreadsheets or emails, you can centralize goals, requirements, timelines, and dependencies into a single workflow. Whether you’re managing a new project, refining business processes, or coordinating between product and engineering teams, the BRD template helps you capture essential details and reduce miscommunication from the start.

Who benefits from BRD templates?

A simple business requirements document template does more than outline project tasks. It connects every person involved in turning a concept into a successful project. If your project team is defining product requirements, writing the project description, or starting requirements gathering, BRD templates ensure everyone understands what needs to be built and why.

Business analysts

Business analysts use the BRD template to capture both functional and non-functional requirements, document project constraints, and ensure that business goals are translated into actionable project tasks.

Project managers

Project managers rely on requirements templates to outline scope, milestones, use cases, and deliverables. Having all this information centralized helps focus the team on measurable results and prevents scope creep.

Stakeholders and executives

Leaders can quickly review an executive summary, stakeholder analysis, and project overview to see how an initiative aligns with business objectives and budgets, without needing to understand any technical details.

Developers and technical teams

For technical teams, the BRD identifies user stories, APIs, and integration requirements before coding starts. Documentation reduces revisions and helps ensure that the final product accurately reflects the business intent.

Clients and partners

External collaborators gain transparency into deliverables, dependencies, and expected outcomes. With documentation, approval cycles are faster and smoother.

Why use a business requirements document template

When new projects begin, teams often rush into execution without a shared understanding of what success looks like. A BRD template prevents that by defining the problem, solution, and measurement of success early on.

Use BRD templates to

• Coordinate business goals and technical deliverables

• Reduce miscommunications during project execution

• Define project scope and timeline

• Speed up team approvals and sign-offs

• Centralize updates for ongoing revisions and metrics

How to use a business requirements document template

Using Asana’s BRD template helps you structure your requirements in a way that fits both technical and business audiences. The steps below correspond to sections in the actual template layout, so you can follow along as you fill it out.

Step 1: Executive summary

Start with a high-level summary of the initiative. Explain what the project is, why it’s important, and how it supports business goals. Keep this section concise but impactful; it’s often the first part stakeholders read.

Add the project’s primary objective, target users, and expected outcomes. An executive summary should also serve as a quick reference for executives who need to understand the purpose without being bogged down by technical details.

Step 2: Project overview and objectives

Use this section to define project scope, timeline, and deliverables. State what’s included and excluded to avoid misaligned expectations later. Add measurable objectives, like reducing processing time by 20% or improving user satisfaction. Objectives help track ROI and success metrics.

Step 3: Business need and justification

Document the reason this project exists. Are you solving inefficiencies in business processes? Meeting compliance requirements? Supporting a new product launch?

A well-written justification improves stakeholder buy-in. So include cost-benefit analysis, anticipated risks, and how the initiative contributes to larger organizational goals.

Step 4: Scope

Define the project's boundaries in detail. Break the scope into functional and non-functional elements, identifying what each team is responsible for delivering. You can also attach related project planning documents or milestone charts to this section. That helps stakeholders visualize dependencies and progress checkpoints.

Step 5: Functional and non-functional requirements

This section forms the technical backbone of your business requirements document template. List what the system must do (functional requirements) and how it must perform (non-functional requirements).

Include details like APIs, system integrations, security standards, and usability criteria. Linking these to acceptance criteria ensures each requirement can be validated before launch.

Step 6: Key stakeholders

Add stakeholders, sponsors, and department representatives involved in the project. Assign responsibilities for review and approval using Asana’s Assignee and Approval Status fields. Keeping this information organized avoids bottlenecks during revisions and approvals. You can also tag departments to make communication easier across teams.

Asana’s requirements documentation features

Features help your BRD template move beyond a static document into a dynamic, trackable workflow. Explore these options, and visit the Asana Features Hub for a full list.

Custom fields

Track risk levels, priority, and department ownership directly in the template. Custom fields make it easier to filter and sort requirements as your project scales.

Approvals

Build accountability into your workflow by adding review and approval steps. Approvers get automatic notifications when sections are ready for sign-off.

Timeline view

Visualize how your milestones and dependencies fit together. The timeline view keeps all project phases visible, so stakeholders can identify conflicts early.

Attachments

Attach reference documents, such as wireframes, cost models, or compliance forms. Keeping everything connected in one workspace eliminates time spent searching across systems.

Rules and automation

Set automations to move tasks forward when approvals are complete or dependencies are resolved. This keeps project progress on track in real time.

Recommended integrations for your BRD template

Integrations connect your business requirements document template with tools your team already uses. Browse the Asana Integrations Library to explore all available connectors.

Google Drive

Attach related project documents, cost analyses, and supporting research directly to BRD tasks. Everyone stays up to date with the latest version automatically.

Slack

Receive instant updates when new requirements are added or approvals are complete. The Slack integration enables teams to respond quickly without needing to check multiple platforms.

Jira Cloud

Sync requirements with Jira to connect your BRD to technical execution. Developers can see project objectives while working through engineering tasks.

Figma

Link design mockups or user interface concepts to the relevant functional requirements. This makes it easier to validate user experience decisions before development begins.

Microsoft Teams

Collaborate on project discussions directly from Teams by linking conversations to Asana tasks. 

FAQs about business requirements document templates