Intro to PM: System Requirements Specification, Part I: Definitions

What is a system? A system is an interdependent group of people, objects, or procedures constituted to achieve a defined objective or some operational role by performing specified functions.¹

What is a requirement? A requirement is something a system must do. It is a condition or capability a user needs in order to solve a problem or achieve an objective.

What is system requirement specification? It is a process that produces a set of requirements that, when realized, will satisfy an expressed need. It provides a description of what a system’s customers expect it to do for them. It is a way of converting raw customer requirements into well-formed and organized ones. It is a method to provide a “black-box” description of what a system should do, in terms of its interactions or interfaces with its external environment.

What does the environment of a system include? A system’s environment includes all of the things that influence the system. These fall into categories like:

• Political
• Market
• Industry Standards
• Internal Policies
• Cultural
• Organizational
• Physical

Does system requirements specification show how to build the system? No. System requirement specification does not result in a set of instructions. We use it to ensure communication between the technical community and agreement on what the system must do to achieve its goals. During design and development, we use it to determine the requirements of the various parts we determine the system must have. We use it to develop test plans. We use it to verify the system operation when we believe we are done.

References

1. Software Engineering Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society, ‘IEEE Guide for Developing System Requirements Specifications’, IEEE Std 1233 (1998) <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel4/5982/16016/00741940.pdf> [accessed Tuesday, August 23, 2007] ↩

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