Scribd
Upload
109 views3 pages

Reading 3 Function Non-Functional Requirements PDF

The document discusses functional requirements and non-functional requirements. It defines functional requirements as actions or features that must be included to satisfy business needs and users. Examples of mandatory and desirable functional requirements are provided. Non-functional requirements are described as characteristics, attributes, and constraints that limit the boundaries of a solution. Non-functional requirements are classified into types like performance, information, economy, control/security, efficiency, and service. Both functional and non-functional requirements should be documented in requirements reports.

Uploaded by

Eugene Ling
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
109 views3 pages

Reading 3 Function Non-Functional Requirements PDF

The document discusses functional requirements and non-functional requirements. It defines functional requirements as actions or features that must be included to satisfy business needs and users. Examples of mandatory and desirable functional requirements are provided. Non-functional requirements are described as characteristics, attributes, and constraints that limit the boundaries of a solution. Non-functional requirements are classified into types like performance, information, economy, control/security, efficiency, and service. Both functional and non-functional requirements should be documented in requirements reports.

Uploaded by

Eugene Ling
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Functional Requirements

The very first stage in requirements determination is the identification of the problem or opportunity.
Once this is established, you will need to gather information to understand the problem and any
constraints that may limit the solution.

Once the problem has been identified the next step is to:

• Understand the problem including the cause and effect


• Understand any constraints that may limit the solution

Defining the functional requirements requires a significant proportion of


information gathering, then analysis of the information gathered. Whitten,
Bentley & Dittman (2001) define functional requirements as:
Function
"A functional requirement is a function or feature that must be
included in an information system in order to satisfy the business
need and be acceptable to the users."

Functional Requirements are actions, therefore a verb(s) should be included in the statement. In
addition, functional requirements can be mandatory or desirable. The use of Must or May will identify the
strength of the requirement. Functional requirements may become the Acceptance Criteria at the end of
the project, that is, your project success is measured on the attainment of the Functional Requirements.

Functional requirements (and possibly non-functional requirements or constraints) should be included in


a Business Requirements Report under an appropriate heading.

Examples of mandatory and desirable functional requirements might be:

• The system Must associate non-stock purchases of raw materials to a specified customer order
• The system Must associate design work as well as production work to customer special orders
• The system May track the completion status of customer special orders
• The system Must provide a users' guide for products
• The system Must capture customer details online
• The system May have password protection for a members only section

In the above functional requirements the word "system" can be replaced by a more meaningful word to
describe the system. Example:

• The website May have password protection for a members only section
• The database Must retain customer details

Non-Functional Requirements
Whitten et. al. also define non-functional requirements:

"A non-functional requirement is a description of the features, characteristics and


attributes of the system as well as any constraints that may limit the boundaries of the
proposed solution"

Some authors use the term "constraints" to identify non-functional requirements.

Note: Non-functional requirements are less important to the Business Requirements report -
but highly important to the Technical Requirements report. It is important to understand the
difference between functional and non-functional requirements.

Non-functional requirements can be classified by their requirement type:

Explanation
Requirement
type
Performance Performance requirements represent the performance
the system is required to exhibit to meet the needs of
users.

• What is the maximum download time for web


pages?
• What is the acceptable throughput rate?
• What is the required response time?

Information Information requirements represent the information that


is pertinent to the users in terms of content, timeliness,
accuracy and format.

• What are the necessary inputs and outputs? When


must they happen?
• Where is the required data to be stored?
• How current must the information be?
• What are the interfaces to the external systems?

Economy Economy requirements represent the need for the


system to reduce costs or increase profits.

• What are the areas of the system where costs


may be reduced?
• How much cost should be reduced or profits
should be increased?
• What are the budgetary limits?
• What is the timetable for development?

Control (and Control requirements represent the environment in


Security) which the system must operate, as well as the type and
degree of security that must be provided.

• Must access to the system or information be


controlled?
• What are the privacy requirements?
• Does the criticality of the data necessitate the
need for special handling (backups, off-site
storage, etc) of the data?

Efficiency Efficiency requirements represent the system's ability to


produce outputs with minimal waste.

• Are there duplicate steps in the process that must


be eliminated?
• Are there ways to reduce waste in the way the
system uses its resources?

Service Service requirements represent needs in order for the


system to be reliable, flexible and expandable.

• Who will use the system and where are they


located?
• Will there be different types of users?
• What are the appropriate human factors?
• What training devices and training materials are
to be included in the system?
• What training devices and training materials are
to be developed and maintained separately from
the system, such as stand-alone computer-based
training (CBT) programs or databases?
• What are the reliability/availability requirements?
• How should the system be packaged and
distributed?
• What documentation is required?

Source: Whitten, J., Bentley, L., Dittman, K. (2001). System Analysis and
Design Methods, Sydney, McGraw-Hill Irwin. Page 216

Non-functional requirements are often associated with the technical requirements of a system - therefore
the non-functional requirements may be part of the Technical Requirements Report rather than the
Business Requirements Report. Your organisation or client will often specify the format and content of the
required report.

Summary
In this section you have looked at functional requirements which should appear in the Business
Requirements Report. Functional requirements are sometimes known as business requirements and non-
functional requirements are sometimes known as constraints. Constraints may limit the project or
solution.

^ top

You might also like