Requirements Register Template

The Requirements Register or Requirements Log is simply a list of all known requirements. It’s the one document that captures them all.

What’s a requirement? A requirement is a condition that must be met or a capacity that a system, service, result or component must have to satisfy a contract, standard, specification or other formally imposed document. Requirements are the quantified and documented needs, wants, and expectations of the sponsor, the customer, and other stakeholders.

This Requirements Register template is rather basic. It captures only the date received, the person or place from whom the requirement was received, the requirement name, its description, and a brief explanation of how the requirement meets a business need or strategic objective. Since this is an editable template, additional columns could be added to extend the functionality of the document. For example, columns could be added to assess the value of delivering the requirement or for assessing the complexity or difficulty of doing so.

Don’t confuse the Requirements Register with the Requirements Traceability Matrix. While the latter traces a requirement from its origin to the deliverable, the Requirements Register is merely a log.

The Requirements Register is created by the project manager.

Inputs to the Requirements Register may include, among other things: the project charter, the contract, prototypes, facilitated workshops, surveys, workflow documentation, notes or recordings from interviews, quality requirements, functional requirements, business rules and lessons learned.

The Requirements Register is used when identifying and gathering requirements. It’s merely a place for listing them all. Requirements may begin as high-level and later become progressively more detailed. Typically, the requirements register is an input to performing requirements analysis. Like most project management documents, the requirements register should be consulted and updated throughout the project life cycle.