vision-and-scope
Purpose
Guide requirements engineers through building a vision and scope document that defines business requirements (objectives, success metrics, risk), project scope (features, limitations, exclusions), and business context (stakeholder profiles, priorities, deployment). Use this to prevent scope creep, align stakeholders on what the project will and will not deliver, and provide a stable foundation for all downstream requirements work.
This is not a full SRS -- it is the strategic framing document that precedes detailed requirements. Think of it as the contract between the business sponsor and the project team on why the project exists and what it covers.
Key Concepts
Three Layers of Business Requirements
Business requirements sit at the top of the requirements hierarchy:
- Business Requirements -- Why the project exists (objectives, success metrics)
- User Requirements -- What users need to accomplish (use cases, user stories)
- Functional Requirements -- What the system must do (detailed behaviors)
The vision and scope document captures layer 1 and bounds layer 2 and 3.
Business Objectives Model
Structure objectives as a hierarchy: