Re: Requirements Writing

[Dick Margulis <margulis -at- fiam -dot- net>]

Rose,

First, think like a tester. When you write a sentence in a requirements 
document, ask yourself if you have described something testable. "The 
user interface must be intuitive and easy to navigate" is not an easily 
tested requirement. "All buttons on the user interface will be the same 
size" is an easily tested requirement (not a useful one, of course, just 
a dumb example).

Second, limit each input document to a single function of the software. 
I do not mean a single feature, because you may need several related 
features to implement a function. But putting each function on a 
separate form makes it easier to sort requirements into priority groups, 
assign development to individuals, etc.

Third, what you are creating is a functional specification, not a design 
specification. Nonetheless, designers are going to have to use the 
information in your form to build the design, so you want to make it 
easy for them. Identify what actions users may need to perform and what 
the desired consequences are of each of those actions. If more than one 
kind of user might interact with the function, create use cases for all 
of those kinds of users.

Well, maybe that's a start. I'm sure others will have more to say. Good 
luck.

Dick

Wilcox, Rose (ZB5646) wrote: