One of the differences between beginners and experts is that experts keep bits and samples of their work to use in new projects.
A programmer keeps bits of code that do interesting things he may want to do again. A carpenter has patterns and jigs to make the job go faster. A writer has stock phrases, openings and closings that can be used as is, or edited to fit the current project.
Experienced Business Analysts do the same thing.
I cannot always keep samples of my work, because the companies I work for will often require me to destroy all copies I may have when my contract comes to an end. But when I can, I do keep old use cases, parts of use cases, and requirements documents that I refer to for inspiration. Some of them I can use mostly the way they are, with just a bit of rewriting. Others may not be useful in the current project, but I refer to them to remind me of things I should consider in the new project.
When possible, I collect examples from other people as well. Someone else will have thought of something that did not occur to me, or will have an interesting new way of doing things. Typically I only have descriptions of what was done because the documents are proprietary and so the other person cannot share the documents with me. But even descriptions of what the person did are useful when I go to new projects.
This is something you should be doing for yourself. You should collect examples of well written requirements documents – such as use cases, supplementary requirements, report specifications – and keep good examples of your own work in an easy-to-find place so you can refer to them later. As long as you continue working for the same company, this should be easy to do.
These examples will help you to work faster and with better quaility, because instead of creating everything new, you are starting with something that is already good.
When a programmer starts out, there are books that have sample bits of code that do interesting things. There are books for writers and carpenters as well. But where can a Business Analyst get examples?
In September 2010, I took a set of old use cases and other requirements and completely rewrote them. I extended the example, and made it as complete as I could without being on a “real” project. I added explanations of what I did and why I did it, and put all this into a PDF book.
You can get a copy of this book for yourself. You can use it for examples and inspiration on your own projects. Even if the domain is not the one you work in, you will find many examples of how to do things that will apply to the work you are doing. Since this is an electronic book, you can even copy and paste examples into your own documents and edit them to suit your needs.
From now until the end of July 2011, I am including an extra bonus with this book. This is a set of 4 use cases and a report mockup that provide the basics of application security – login, managing use accounts and role tables, and reviewing logs of login attempts.
In addition, you will get a copy of my 2 page job aid that you can print double sided and use for reference. The first side of the job aid is a table of the FURPS+ requirements. I use this to remind myself of the different kinds of supplementary requirements I should consider in my project. The second side is a decision tree to help you determine if you need use cases, screen mockups, report specifications, and other kinds of requirements for your project.
These bonuses are not advertised on the sales page. It’s a secret thing I’m offering to people I know from my email lists and forums. When you purchase the book, you will be given instructions on where to get the bonuses.
Get your copy of the book, and the bonuses, here: http://www.wyyzzk.com/usecaserequirementsmodel.html
The bonuses are only available until the end of July, so get your copy of the book now.
Best -
Geri
PS – For all of you who have purchased my Business Analyst Fundamentals class (instructor led or self guided) – you already have a copy of this book in your class member area. You also have the bonuses I have listed here. So don’t buy this book for yourself! If you feel like purchasing a copy for someone else, I won’t stop you. 
