Software implementation is complex, involves many parties and can take months or years to realize benefits. A sound foundation can enable implementation success. Business requirements, aka business needs, establish such a foundation.

“According to InfoTech Advisor, 70% of information systems projects fail—and up to 50% of project rework is due to—flawed requirements.”

Good requirements represent the consensus needs of interested parties—stakeholders—and set software project boundaries. Companies must identify, document and track business requirements for them to be of value.

Lexicon Systems facilitates business needs capture through workshops with key stakeholders. We help clients to document, analyze and prioritize business requirements to align with company business and environment, health & safety (EHS) strategies. We deliver a Business Requirements Document that helps to develop a good system specification, which in turn leads to better software.

case studies

business needs analysis, refining and chemicals conglomerate

Our clients mapped out high-level EHS business requirements and hired Lexicon Systems to take them to the next step. Working with stakeholders from corporate EHS and operations, we reviewed the clients’ business and software objectives and then clarified and augmented the requirements. Lexicon used the resulting Business Requirements Document to enable objective software evaluation and selection.

business needs analysis, midstream energy company

A growing midstream energy company developed its own environmental management system. After ten years, the IT platform was obsolete and the company needed to evaluate whether to rebuild the software—with significant new features—or to buy commercial EHS software. Lexicon Systems facilitated the business needs analysis process, working with corporate IT and EHS staff, as well as operations EHS staff. We prepared a Business Requirements Document which we used to conduct software evaluation and selection.

business needs analysis, specialty chemicals company

A specialty chemical company had over 25 facilities and lean EHS staffing in two very different lines of business. They sought to understand their internal and external obligations, assign accountability, streamline and standardize business processes and capture information for better decision-making. Lexicon facilitated business requirements gathering using a team dialog approach. Environment, health & safety (EHS), quality and IT specialists reached consensus on business requirements and business processes. This provided a sound basis for software evaluation and selection and, ultimately implementation.

business needs analysis, electric utility company

A large electrical utility identified business requirements and then internally developed an environmental software application. The initiative was late, over budget and lacked 60 percent of the features in the initial specification. The client hired Lexicon Systems to verify, update and help reach consensus on requirements for a commercial EHS software application. Lexicon led a series of workshops with stakeholders from six business units, corporate environmental staff and management sponsors. Lexicon used the resulting Business Requirements Document as the basis for software evaluation and selection.