A common mistake of consulting companies is to insist the corporation they are working for deliver business requirements in specific formats. This makes the corporation they are working for do a lot of work. Because collecting and reforming information is difficult it is likely that the corporation will cut out requirements that are key to understanding their true needs.

It is the business analyst's job to determine what facts and questions should be asked to arrive on an agreed project plan, statement of work, or other agreement documents.

In truth getting all the business process and planning files in any format is the true way to be of service when gathering business requirements for any project, especially larger ones, or as a precursor to complete front and back end makeovers.

So here's the BA pledge -
If a company wishes to communicate their requirements in Latin poetry using Laurel leaves on Liberia, or burped up and tap danced in Berber;

If they chose instead to use sign language in Swahili or communicate via syncopated smoke signals in Sioux;

If a company's requirements are laser etched on Einstein's black box, written in the photovoltaic solar panels on Al Gore's roof or bloviated on FOX's news ticker;

If a corporation chooses to communicate via Morse code on a submarine in the Antarctic or spell them out in runes using fireworks over a Chinese work house;

Whatever business requirement, whether in pidgin or cuneiform, the business analyst will be johnny on the spot to collect it… no matter the format.

Basic advice about collecting business requirements:

o Tone. Use company name instead of third person (not "we", "they", "you", "them" )
o Format. footer, document properties, title block
o Bullets: use them
o Outline: use it
o Organization: clean up and gather like thoughts together, remove excessive technical details from business docs

Here's some heavy design advice from our fave Web Design Coder SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Rapper Chubbs:

Art is Immortal!

http://www.youtube.com/v/a0qMe7Z3EYg&hl=en&fs=1