Comparing BRD and FRD

BRD and FRD seem to be similar documents at most of the stages in their development but basic difference that we can highlight between the two documents is that BRD is developed with business perspective and business needs whereas FRD is developed with functional needs and perspective in terms of the software to be developed.

Let us understand both of them in short:-

BRD:-

BRD highlights “Business Requirements” – i.e., high-level business goals of the organization developing the product or solution with the help of IT, or high level functional specifications of the software, here the BA lists down these requirement with continuous interaction with the client and under supervision of the Project Manager.

Objectives of BRD:-

• To arrive at a common decision with client and stakeholders regarding the requirements of the project.
• To provide idea of how the business needs and requirements will be solved with the proposed solution.
• To provide a clear idea on how the solution provides value to the client.
• To specify business oriented and strategic approach and provide clarity and input to the next phase of the project.

FRD:-

FRD highlights “Functional Requirements” i.e., functionality of the software in detail and focuses on concern related to the software and its functioning. This document is usually prepared under the supervision of technical expert or system architect. FRD is generally derived from BRD.

Objective of FRD:-

• To describe in detail the process flow of each activity along with its dependencies.
• To provide a clear idea of the all requirements and steps to be built.
• Providing an estimation of the detailed risks that every new change request might have on the software.
• Highlight the consequences and describe situations that might lead to scope creep.

FRD is a derivative of BRD and can also be described as an effective way to reach to the expectancy of BRD.