Re: [re-online] Feature, functional and nonfunctional requirements

From: Andrew Gabb (agabb@tpgi.com.au)
Date: Thu Dec 11 2003 - 10:20:10 EST



Let me rewrite this from a (brief) systems engineering viewpoint.

Richard Thayer wrote:
> What you have correctly described is a useful 3-step process..
>
> 1. Defined the user's need in the concept of operations (ConOps) document
> (a ConOps document does not need measurable requirements and is written by
> the user/customer).[IEEE Standard 1362]

1A. A user-RE team develops user requirements from the activities, events and needs described in the OCD/Conops - measurable where possible.

1B. System design, possibly including GUI, which defines which requirements are to be handled in software (allocation).

> 2. A user-software analysis team translates the unmeasurable requirements
> into measurable requirements (or abandons them)
>
> 3. The measurable requirements are document in a software requirements
> specification [IEEE Standard 830]

One of the big mistakes I see in software development, again and again, is treating the SRS as the top level spec. This leads to a number of problems, including omission of the higher level requirements - they are simply not recorded anywhere - and distortion of the SRS, which is really a technical document.

Andrew

-- 
Andrew Gabb
email: agabb@tpgi.com.au       Adelaide, South Australia
phone: +61 8 8342-1021, fax: +61 8 8269-3280
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