Just like how any carpenter cannot create without his hammer, the business analyst needs the right tools to ply his or her craft. Cue the RML® Quick Reference, a handy two-page guide on a requirements modeling language to getting the job done. This reference sheet contains all the main models that we use to seek out those hard-to-find requirements, and to better communicate with our business users and developers.

So what comes with the RML® Quick Reference? I’m glad you asked. On the reference you’ll find overviews of the models you may need to use in your everyday requirements gathering including the Business Data Diagram (BDD), Process Flow, State Diagram, and Use Case. The models are divided up amongst the categories of People, Systems, and Data, which makes it easier to find the model that you need for the task at hand. Each model comes with a high-level description, and tips on when to use it and when not to use it. Using the quick reference could mean the difference between spending too much time on the wrong model and delivering fantastic results to your customers.

Personally, this reference has been a life-saver on more than one occasion, and is compact enough that it can be pulled out on-the-fly to validate whether or not what your business user needs is a Process Flow, or a Decision Tree, or maybe that developer could be better served with a Data Flow Diagram rather than a BDD. I carry a laminated copy with me in my bag at all times, ready to be brought out on the front-lines of elicitation sessions, or to just take a quick look while sitting at my desk. For the modern business analyst the RML® Quick Reference Guide is an indispensable resource, and while it may not be quite like the carpenter’s hammer, once you begin taking advantage of it you’ll never regret it.

Download Now: RML® Quick Reference