Description

Project Name: Requirements Document

To use this template:

1. Replace any red italicized text with your own text. You may remove or add sections as needed for

your particular projects.

2. Enter the project name in the title and footer (and change the document version number, if

necessary).

3. If your document is very long, break each numbered chapter into its own document section,

beginning it on a new page. This will make it easier to replace/updagte

4. Delete these instructions and any other italicized instructions.

Date(s):

Prepared by:

Introduction

This document contains the system requirements for project name. These requirements have been

derived from several sources, including brief listing of most important sources.

Types of Reader

In this section, list the different types of reader this document is aimed at. For example, Flash

programmers, graphic designers, end-users, project managers, etc. For each type of reader, clearly state

which sections are most pertinent to them, and which may be safely skipped.

Technical Background Required

Describe here the technical background needed to understand the document in general, and any

particular expertise or understanding that is needed for specific sections.

General Description

This section will give the reader an overview of the project, including why it was conceived, what it will

do when complete, and the types of people we expect will use it. We also list constraints that were

faced during development and assumptions we made about how we would proceed.

This section contains a nontechnical description of the project, usually in narrative form, which may

serve to acquaint new readers with the purpose of the project. It also sets the stage for the specific

requirement listing which follows. You can use your Executive Summary section of your proposal to help

construct this section.

Product Functions

What does your product do? What activities can users perform while using it? List the main functions

that you will build into your product here.

Software Requirements Document Template. Adapted from Stanford University (www.stanford.edu)

User Characteristics

Who do you expect to use your finished product, and why? What is their technical background, their

training or education, their motivation to use it? What obstacles might they encounter, and what

specialized skills will they need?

General Constraints

Did you work under any constraints such as platform or development environment? Did you have to

make your product compatible with any existing software or other products currently in use?

Assumptions and Dependencies

In this section, list any assumptions you made about your project (for example, did you assume that the

finished product would need to be delivered by a cloud service provider?). If your project depends on any

particular technical infrastructure, or requires administrators or others with specific skills, note that here.

Specific Requirements

This section of the document lists specific requirements for name of project. Requirements are divided

into the following sections:

1. User requirements. These are requirements written from the point of view of end users, usually

expressed in narrative form.

2. Availability and Performance requirements.

3. System and Integration requirements. These are detailed specifications describing the functions

the system must be capable of doing.

4. Security Requirements

5. User Interface requirements. These are requirements about the user interface, which may be

expressed as a list, as a narrative, or as images of screen mock-ups.

Functional (User) Requirements

List functional requirements here. Each requirement should be approximately 1 paragraph long and

include a brief description of the required feature and its business value (why it should be done). Follow

each function requirement with at least one use case.

Availability and Performance Requirements

Each requirement should be approximately 1 paragraph long and include a brief description of the

required feature and its business value (why it should be done).

System and Integration Requirements

List detailed system requirements here. Make sure to mention your system’s platform(s), required

operating systems/browsers, etc… If your system is large, you may wish to break this into several

subsections. Include dependencies on existing systems.

Security Requirements

List detailed system requirements here. Each requirement should be approximately 1 paragraph long and

include a brief description of the required feature and its business value (why it should be done).

User Interface Requirements

Software Requirements Document Template. Adapted from Stanford University (www.stanford.edu)

Describe user interface requirements using storyboards/screen mockups. At the very least, you must

provide a proposed mockup for your home page/landing page. Make sure to show key functions and

features along with how to log in. Be sure to also explain and include major features or functions with

narrative to avoid confusion or omission of desired features.

Appendices

If you wish to append any documents, do so here. You may wish to include some or all of the following:

 Personas and scenarios developed for this project

 Transcripts of user interviews, observations, or focus groups

 Copies of communications which contain user requirements

 Original project proposals or other historical documents

 Lists of similar projects or products, with notes about how they differ from yours

A list of requirements which were "wish-listed" or marked unfeasible at present

Original screen mockups, if they are relevant

Glossary

Include a glossary of definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations that might be unfamiliar to some readers,

especially technical terms that may not be understood by end-users or domain-specific terms that might

not be familiar to developers.

References

List references and source documents, if any, in this section.

Index

If your document is very large, consider compiling an index to help readers find specific items.