Software Requirement Specification

(SRS)
source: IEEE 830
Lecture 7
 Requirement Specification
• Structured natural language, augmented with
graphical models, remains the most practical
way for most software projects to document
their requirements
• The SRS is the basis for all subsequent project
planning, design, and coding, as well as the
foundation for system testing and user
documentation.
 Desirable characteristics of requirements in an
SRS (source: IEEE 830)
• Correct: reflective of actual needs
• Unambiguous: only one interpretation
• Complete: acknowledge all requirements
• Consistent: non-conflicting
• Ranked: for importance/stability
• Verifiable: measures
• Modifiable: structured
• Traceable: backward and forward
 IEEE requirements standard guidelines
(IEEE 830)
• Defines a generic structure for a requirements document that
must be instantiated for each specific system.
– Introduction.
• Purpose of requirements document
• Scope of the product
• Definitions, acronyms, abbreviations
• Overview of remainder of the document
– General description.
• Product perspective
• Product functions
• User characteristics
• General constraints
• Assumptions and dependencies
IEEE requirements standard guidelines
(IEEE 830)
– Specific requirements.
• Functional requirements
• Non-functional requirements
• Interface requirements
– Appendices.
– Index.
 Traceability
• Traceability is concerned with the relationships between
requirements, their sources and the system design
• Source traceability
– Links from requirements to stakeholders who proposed these
requirements;
• Requirements traceability
– Links between dependent requirements;
• Design traceability
– Links from the requirements to the design;
 Requirements change management

• Should apply to all proposed changes to the

requirements.
• Principal stages
– Problem analysis. Discuss requirements problem
and propose change;
– Change analysis and costing. Assess effects of
change on other requirements;
– Change implementation. Modify requirements
document and other documents to reflect change.
• Questions?