Software Requirement Specification (SRS) Tutorial and EXAMPLE | Functional Requirement Document
Summary
TLDRThis video script by Dr. White offers a comprehensive tutorial on crafting a software requirement specification (SRS). It outlines the SRS's purpose, detailing functional and non-functional requirements, and its audience. The script guides through the SRS structure, including sections like introduction, overall description, business rules, and various requirement categories. Best practices for creating an effective SRS are highlighted, along with an example of an SRS for a university admissions department website, emphasizing the importance of clear documentation for successful software development.
Takeaways
- 😀 A software requirement specification (SRS) is a formal document that outlines the behavior and implications of a software application by detailing functional and non-functional requirements.
- 🔍 Functional requirements describe the solution capabilities and behavior under specific conditions, while non-functional requirements describe the performance or quality characteristics that a solution must have.
- 👥 The primary audience for an SRS includes the technical team, subject matter experts, testing teams, and other stakeholders involved in the development and approval process.
- 📚 The SRS serves as a blueprint for design and implementation by the technical team and as a communication tool between technical and business stakeholders.
- 📈 The structure of an SRS typically includes sections such as introduction, overall description, business rules, functional requirements, use cases, data requirements, external requirements, non-functional requirements, reporting requirements, and supplemental information.
- 📊 Business rules in an SRS are specific, testable directives that guide behavior, judgment, or decision-making, often emerging as constraints in the form of policies, guidelines, standards, regulations, or calculated formulas.
- 📝 Functional requirements should be system-agnostic to minimize design dependency on a specific application, and they are derived from stakeholder requirements.
- 📋 Use cases in an SRS describe the functionality in a system that allows the user to achieve a goal, detailing the relationship between actors and the solution.
- 🌐 Non-functional requirements (NFRs) cover aspects like availability, compatibility, performance, portability, reliability, scalability, security, supportability, usability, and localization.
- 📉 Reporting requirements in an SRS outline the reports that will be generated by the solution, including details like report title, headers and footers, layout, security and access, and report logic.
- 📚 Best practices for creating an SRS include developing a separate business requirements document, involving key stakeholders, enabling manageability, using a checklist, using visuals, and being clear and concise in language.
Q & A
What is the purpose of a Software Requirement Specification (SRS)?
-A Software Requirement Specification (SRS) is a formal document that outlines the functional and non-functional requirements of a software application. It serves as a blueprint for design and implementation, guiding the technical team and acting as a communication tool between technical and business stakeholders.
What are the two main types of requirements discussed in the script?
-The two main types of requirements discussed are functional requirements and non-functional requirements. Functional requirements describe the solution capabilities and behavior under specific conditions, while non-functional requirements describe the performance or quality characteristics a solution must have.
Who is the primary audience for an SRS?
-The primary audience for an SRS includes the technical team, subject matter experts (SMEs), testing teams, and other stakeholders involved in approving the SRS. The technical team uses it to develop solution designs, SMEs review it for accuracy, and testing teams use it to develop test cases.
What is the significance of involving key stakeholders in the development of an SRS?
-Involving key stakeholders ensures that all relevant perspectives and needs are considered, which helps in creating a comprehensive and accurate SRS. It also ensures that the requirements are testable and align with the expectations of all parties involved.
What are the common sections included in an SRS?
-Common sections of an SRS include Introduction, Overall Description, Business Rules, Functional Requirements, Use Cases, Data Requirements, External Requirements, Non-functional Requirements, Reporting Requirements, and Supplemental Information.
How are functional requirements typically structured in an SRS?
-Functional requirements should include the actor (usually the system), the action (a verb), the object (a noun), and the qualifier criteria if needed. They should be system agnostic to minimize design dependency on a specific application.
What is the role of use cases in an SRS?
-Use cases describe the functionality in a system that allows the user to achieve a goal. They provide a narrative that describes the relationship between actors and the solution, detailing how the interaction works. Use cases can be particularly useful when functional requirements involve various scenarios.
What are some common elements included in the Data Requirements section of an SRS?
-The Data Requirements section typically includes a logical data model, a data dictionary, and data acquisition and maintenance details. A logical entity relationship diagram (ERD) is commonly used for the data model, and the data dictionary provides detailed information about important business terms.
What are non-functional requirements (NFRs) and why are they important?
-Non-functional requirements (NFRs) describe the performance or quality characteristics a solution must have to be effective and satisfactory to stakeholders. They are important as they form constraints on the solution, often being measurable and applicable to the entire solution or system rather than a single functionality.
What are some best practices for creating a complete and effective SRS?
-Best practices include creating a separate business requirements document before formulating the SRS, involving all relevant stakeholders in the development process, structuring the requirements for manageability, using a checklist to ensure all criteria are met, using visuals to illustrate complex requirements, and being clear and specific in the language used.
Outlines
📝 Introduction to Software Requirement Specifications
This paragraph introduces the concept of Software Requirement Specifications (SRS) and their importance in defining the behavior and implications of a software application. It outlines the purpose of SRS, which is to serve as a blueprint for design and implementation, and as a communication tool between technical and business stakeholders. The paragraph also highlights the need for well-crafted SRS to avoid project failures and meet expectations. The audience for SRS includes technical teams, subject matter experts (SMEs), and testing teams. The main components of an SRS are also introduced, such as introduction, overall description, business rules, functional and non-functional requirements, use cases, data requirements, external requirements, reporting requirements, and supplemental information.
🔍 Detailed Breakdown of SRS Components
This paragraph delves into the specifics of each section within an SRS document. It explains the purpose of the introduction, which includes the project scope and the document's purpose. It describes the overall description section, which provides a high-level overview of the product, its functionality, users, operating environment, and any constraints or dependencies. The paragraph also covers business rules, functional requirements, and use cases, emphasizing the importance of clarity and traceability in requirements. Additionally, it discusses data requirements, external requirements, and non-functional requirements, which are critical for ensuring the software meets performance and quality standards.
📐 Best Practices for SRS Creation
The paragraph discusses best practices for creating an effective and complete SRS. It suggests developing a separate business requirements document before formulating the SRS to ensure stakeholder alignment on project scope and outcomes. The importance of involving key stakeholders, such as subject matter experts and developers, is emphasized to ensure the SRS is comprehensive and testable. The paragraph also recommends structuring requirements for manageability, using a checklist to ensure all criteria are met, employing visuals for clarity, and using clear, concise language to express requirements. An example of an SRS for a university admissions department website is provided to illustrate the application of these best practices.
🖋 Example SRS for University Admissions Department Website
This paragraph provides a detailed example of an SRS for a university admissions department website. It includes the project's purpose, scope, and the various sections of the SRS such as business rules, functional requirements, use cases, data requirements, external requirements, non-functional requirements, and reporting requirements. Each section is elaborated with specific examples relevant to the admissions department, such as student eligibility rules, appointment scheduling functionalities, data retention policies, and user interface specifications. The example serves to demonstrate how the SRS can guide the development and testing of a software solution.
🏆 Conclusion and Call to Action
The final paragraph concludes the video script by summarizing the importance of a well-defined SRS and encouraging viewers to apply the knowledge gained. It invites feedback and comments from the audience and promotes further business analysis and certification training available at the provided website. The paragraph ends with a positive note, wishing the viewers a productive and prosperous day, and signals the end of the tutorial with a friendly farewell.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Software Requirement Specification (SRS)
💡Functional Requirements
💡Non-Functional Requirements
💡Stakeholder
💡Subject Matter Expert (SME)
💡Use Cases
💡Data Requirements
💡External Requirements
💡Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs)
💡Reporting Requirements
💡Best Practices
Highlights
The importance of defining well-crafted software requirement specifications (SRS) for successful software projects.
Explanation of what a software requirement specification (SRS) is and its role in outlining functional and non-functional requirements.
Differentiation between functional and non-functional requirements and their impact on software development.
Identification of the primary audience for an SRS, including the technical team, subject matter experts, and testing teams.
The significance of decomposing stakeholder requirements into system requirements for functional requirements development.
Components of an SRS, such as introduction, overall description, business rules, functional requirements, and more.
The role of an introduction in an SRS, including purpose and project scope.
Details on overall description, including product overview, general functionality, and user descriptions.
Discussion on constraints, dependencies, and assumptions that affect software solutions.
Business rules section explanation and its impact on software behavior and decision-making.
The crucial section of functional requirements and how to derive them from stakeholder needs.
Use case descriptions for detailing system functionalities and user interactions.
Data requirements section breakdown, including data models and data dictionaries.
External requirements for interfaces and how they enable proper software functioning.
Non-functional requirements (NFRs) categories and their importance in software quality.
Reporting requirements and their significance in outlining solution-generated reports.
Supporting sections of an SRS, such as glossary, appendix, and approvals/sign-off.
Best practices for creating effective SRS, including stakeholder involvement and use of visuals.
An example of a software requirement specification for a university admissions department website.
The process of obtaining stakeholder sign-off to ensure alignment and commitment to the SRS.
Transcripts
are you tired of never-ending software projects that fail to meet expectations if so it's time for
you to start defining well-crafted software requirement specifications in this video
we'll dive deep into creating a game-changing blueprint for your software project stick around
hey Doc Squad Dr White here with the business analysis doctor today I'm giving a detailed
tutorial on creating a well crafted software requirement specification but before we get
started if you want more business analysis training and tips be sure to subscribe to
the page and turn on that notification Bell with that said let's get started let's talk
about what you'll learn first we'll look at what a software requirement specification or
SRS is then we'll look at functional and non-functional requirements we'll discuss
the primary SRS audience the main components of an SRS software requirement specification best
practices and then we'll look at an example of a software requirement specification
so what is a software requirement specification this is a formal business analyst document that
describes the behavior and implication of a software application by outlining
functional and non-functional requirements functional requirements are statements
that describe the solution capabilities and behavior under specific conditions
they also describe the information that the solution will handle functional requirements
are developed by decomposing stakeholder requirements down to the various system
requirements that will enable it non-functional requirements describes the performance or quality
characteristics a solution must have to be effective and of adequate satisfaction to
the stakeholders these requirements are usually measurable and form constraints on the solution
non-functional requirements generally apply to the entire solution or system rather than
a single functionality software requirements are used to provide a detailed description of
solution requirements it serves as a blueprint for design and implementation by the technical
team it's also used as a communication tool between Technical and business stakeholders
so who is the srs-4 the primary audience of the SRS includes the following the technical team will
use the software requirement specification as a guide to develop solution designs and to build and
implement the software solution properly decompose functional requirements should provide enough
detail for developers to unit test the code during development the subject matter expert or Smee will
be responsible for reviewing the SRS for accuracy and completeness while other roles may be involved
in approving the SRS they often rely on the smee's knowledge for approval testing teams the quality
assurance and user acceptance testing teams will use the SRS as an outline for developing
test cases these teams will also help ensure that the requirements are testable during requirements
review sessions while the structure of the software requirement specification varies based on
the needs of the organization and project the most common sections of the SRS includes introduction
overall description business rules functional requirements use cases data requirements external
requirements non-functional requirements reporting requirements and supplemental
information now let's look at each section in detail the software requirement specific
education introduction provides an overview of the initiative and the document two key components
of the introduction include the purpose and the project scope the purpose describes the purpose
of the SRS identifies the product for which it is created and describes the intended audience
for the document the Project's scope gives an overview of the software that's specified
in the document in relation to the general business requirements including the business
goals objectives and expected outcomes now let's look at the overall description of the SRS this
section provides a high level overview of the product and describes the general functionality
of the software it also describes the users of the software the operating environment as well as any
constraints dependencies and assumptions that apply to the software the product perspective
description describes the origin of the product or solution within the context of the organization
for example is it replacing or enhancing an existing system or is it a brand new product it
also describes the key in interfaces between the solution and the larger system that it may be a
part of a system context diagram is often helpful to illustrate this user classes is a description
of the characteristics needs and expectations of the users who will be using and directly
interacting with software this section will be a subset of the project stakeholders the operating
environment describes the environment the software will operate in such as operating systems system
version databases hosts servers and geographical locations of the users constraints are the
influencing factors that cannot be changed and often create limitations or restrictions on the
product or solution assumptions are influencing factors that are considered to be true but has
not been verified there are also conditions that are true now but may not be true in the future
these assumptions are confirmed or disproven before making any decisions that they may
impact dependencies are components of the solution that depend on the completion of the internal or
external project factors common dependencies may be the implementation of requirements that are
dependent on other requirements decisions to be made resources funding or other constraints the
SRS may include additional constraints assumptions and dependencies that were
not defined in the BRD as a result of being discovered during requirement analysis the next
section is software requirements business rules a business rule is a specific testable and business
driven directive that guides Behavior judgment or decision making business rules generally emerge as
constraints in the form of policies guidelines standards regulations or calculated formulas
this section includes a list of business rules that impact the software a description of the
business rule and an indication of the related requirement that's impacted by the rule this is
often Illustrated with a table or Matrix the next section of the SRS is the functional requirements
this is arguably the most important section of the document and it outlines what the system is
supposed to do and what task it should perform there are various ways to present the functional
requirements however one best practice is to start with the stakeholder requirements the
functional requirement is derived from and then decompose it into functional specifications other
approaches start with features or business rule that drives the specification the structure of a
functional requirement should include the actor which will always be the system the action which
is a verb the object which is a noun and the qualifier criteria if needed a keynote about
functional requirements is that they should generally be system agnostic to minimize the
design dependency on a specific application this is why we use the system now let's look at SRS
use cases a use case is a functionality in a system that will allow the user to achieve a
goal a use case description is a narrative that describes the relationship between actors and
the solution as well as the details of how the interaction works there may be times when the
functional requirements involve various scenarios that in impact the outcome of the functionality
use case diagrams and use case description may be included to outline these scenarios in detail the
main components of the use case diagram includes the system name the system boundary box actors
use cases Association relationships and goals the main components of a use case description
includes the use case name the associated function requirement actors preconditions triggers post
conditions flow of events and scenarios for detailed tutorials on both of these use case
techniques see the links in the description next is the software requirement specification data
requirements this section describes the data that the software needs to handle store and manipulate
to perform its functions the data that the system will consume process and create will be outlined
here common elements of this section may include a logical data model a data dictionary and the
data acquisition and maintenance a data model is a visual representation of the solution systems
data relationships it may be included in the SRS to provide a high level overview of the system's
data a logical entity relationship diagram or ERD is commonly used for this purpose for
a detailed tutorial on the ERD see the link in the description the data dictionary is a
list of important business terms with detailed information or metadata about each of them this
often includes a description of the business term data types allowed values and any other
information that needs to have an acceptable level of consistency to be useful while the data model
provides a high level overview of the system's data the data dictionary provides a detailed View
for more information on the data dictionary see the link in the description data maintenance
describes how data is received and maintained within the solution this may include health and
data is transitioned and updated how long it's retained data verification protocols
archive Cycles backup procedures data disposal time frames Etc the external requirements in an
SRS describes the requirements that are outside or external to the solution itself but will interact
with it to enable it to function properly key external interfaces are user interface software
interface and Communications interface user interfaces specify each user interface within
the solution including how users will interact with the system the screens they will use their
navigation experience what type of user inputs are expected and the expected response or outputs
the solution will provide software interfaces describe the interfaces between the solution
being specified and other software applications or components such as operating systems databases
web services or commercial Integrated Systems communication interfaces Define
the communication channels and formats required for the solution to communicate with other systems
including networks emails messaging systems and other communication interfaces the next section
of the software requirement specification is non-functional requirements or nfrs which we
defined earlier in the lesson there are various categories of non-functional requirements here
are some of the most common nfrs availability is the extent to which the solution is accessible
and operating when needed this is often expressed in terms of the percentage of time the system is
available compatibility is the degree to which the solution operates effectively with other
components in its environment such as one process with another performance is the speed at which
the solution performs its function in response to other inputs with minimum Assumption of resources
portability is the ease with which the solution can be transferred from one operating environment
to another reliability it's the extent to which a solution is available and performance required
functions under stated conditions before failing scalability is the degree to which a solution can
grow or handle increased workloads security is how well the solution protects against unauthorized
use modifications destruction or disclosure supportability is how easy the solution is
to install configure and maintain and the adequacy of supporting and training documentation usability
is the ease of which the user can learn to use and navigate through the solution localization
are the requirements related to local languages laws currencies cultures and other geographically
driven user characteristics next is the SRS reporting requirements these requirements outline
the reports that will be generated by the solution if applicable this includes type of reports inputs
layouts logic sequencing Etc the following are the common elements of reporting requirements
the description provides general information about each report including report title purpose users
and data resources the header and footer provides specifications about the layout and printout of
the report's header and footer sections that apply to all reports listed further down the
layout outlines the body of the report such as Fields column and row names charts and graphs
Etc a wireframe of the report would be helpful here as well security and access describes who can
access the report and outlines any limitations among the various user groups report Logic
specifies the general logic of the report such as triggers rules calculations latency and any
criteria that impacts the report generation now let's look at the supporting sections of
the software requirement specification these are the additional sections that provide additional
context background information or supporting details that are relevant to the functional and
non-functional requirements these sections can vary based on project and organization comments
supporting sections that may be included in the SRS are as follows the glossary of term provides
a common understanding of the terms that are used in the software requirement specification
this is especially critical when a term may have different meanings for different stakeholders or
if there are acronyms that need to be defined for the stakeholders who may not be familiar
with them the appendix includes any attachments or links to additional information outside of the
actual SRS that are relevant to the project such as diagrams charts or tables and finally is the
approvers in sign off section this section includes the signatures of all stakeholders
with decision making authority to indicate their approval of the software requirement specification
sign off ensures that all stakeholders are in agreement with the requirements outlined in
the document by obtaining the segment teachers from the key stakeholders the project team can
confirm that everyone is aligned and committed to the specification at this point the SRS is
ready to be used to guide development work and testing efforts now let's look at some best
practices for creating a complete and effective software requirement specification create a
separate business requirements document a separate business requirements document should be developed
and approved before formulating the SRS this helps the business analysts ensure that all stakeholders
agree on the scope and expected outcomes before spending time analyzing detailed requirement
involve key stakeholders involve all the relevant stakeholders in the process of developing the
software requirement specification this includes subject matter experts who may be involved
in outlining the use cases developers who may assist in ensuring the requirements are properly
decomposed or testers who can help ensure that the requirements are testable by doing this you can
ensure that everyone's needs are met debt and that the SRS is fit for purpose enable manageability
structure the requirements in a way that makes it easy to change and update them without excessive
impact to other components of the SRS also ensure each proposed change can be traced to an existing
requirement this is often facilitated with the traceability Matrix use a checklist a requirements
checklist helps the business analysts ensure that all necessary criteria and quality standards
are met for each functional and non-functional requirement as well as the overall specification
document use visuals use diagrams flow charts and other visual aids to illustrate complex
requirements or processes within the SRS this will add Clarity and ensure that all stakeholders have
a shared understanding be clear business analysts need to use clear and concise language to express
requirements in the software requirement specification avoid jargon and ambiguity and
and be specific about what the software should do and Achieve use diagrams and examples to help
clarify the requirements now let's take a look at an example software requirement specification
this is a project for the admissions Department website for a university to start you would just
include the name of the project the version number date and I usually like to include the
company logo on the document as well then we have a revision history where you include any
changes that are made to the document as they're reviewed next is a typical table of contents
the first section is the introduction section I've highlighted some key areas of the purpose
and project scope so for the purpose we have this software requirement specification outlines
the functional and non-functional requirements for at least 1.0 of the admissions Department
website or ADW project the project scope says that the admissions Department website will
transition all applications and forms to an online platform and establish an
electronic user account for the website the next section is the overall description for
the description we have that the ADW project is an enhancement to the existing Department
of Education website that will transition many of the administrative services
the context diagram below illustrates the system interfaces and external entities for the
user class section we describe the users so for example a student can either be an active student
or prospective student the admissions staff will have a passive interaction with the system and the
administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining the website next is the operating
environment here I'm saying that the website must operate correctly with the most updated versions
of the following web browsers Windows Internet Explorer Firefox Google Chrome and Safari for
design and implementation constraints one of the specifications is that the system must pull
student information from current University databases next is the assumptions which is
that the website must be available 24 7 outside of scheduled maintenance for dependencies I have that
all applicable forms will need to be transitioned to an online format before implementation
the next section is the business rules as you can see we have a business rule list which outlines
the rule ID the rule definition the type and impacted area so for admission one the business
rule here is that the student must have a minimum high school GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 grading scale
and the business rule type is eligibility the impacted requirement is requirement 4.8 fr
next is the functional requirements section this is where you should probably be spending
the most amount of time as you can see here I have the functional requirements grouped
by users so I have a student user group and an admission staff user group so here I'm breaking
down all of the stakeholder requirements from the BRD into functional requirements so the
stakeholder requirement here is that the student must be able to schedule an appointment based on
available days and time here I'm breaking down the functional requirements for the stakeholder
requirement so the functional requirement here states that the system must display a calendar
of available dates when the student selects schedule from the appointment options another
example is that the system must display available time slots when the student selects any date from
the calendar of available dates now let's move on to the use case section when there are functional
requirements that need to be described in more detail or have various scenarios that need to
be discussed you can incorporate use cases to represent the additional details that are
needed I'm outputting the various scenarios that are related to the list of requirements
above so I'm referencing them here this use case includes the main path and Alternate
flow and the exception flow you could include as many use cases you need in the specification
the next section is the data requirements here I'm using an entity relationship diagram and a
data dictionary to represent all of the key data elements for this project so now we
have the data maintenance requirements so one example I have here is that the website must
retain student appointment history for up to 365 days next we have the external requirements for
user interface one of the requirements is that the system must provide an FAQ section on each
web page with common questions for software requirements I have sections including the
admissions portal the department portal and the student portal so for the admission portal one
of the requirements is that the system must transmit all the online course enrollments to
get Mission portal immediately to keep course availability up to date for communication
interfaces One requirement might be that the system must send an email message to the student
to confirm appointments scheduled online line so now we have our non-functional requirements some
of the nfrs that I've included are availability requirements capability compatibility requirements
reliability requirements scalability requirements and localization so for availability requirement
you might have that the system must be available 99 of the time outside of scheduled maintenance
for compatibility I've got that the system must be compatible with different operating systems
such as Windows Mac OS Linux and mobile operating systems like IOS and Android a
reliability requirement might be that the system must install any available software update nightly
to remain up to date for scalability the system must be able to handle a large amount of volume
of concurrent users without affecting performance or availability and for localization a requirement
might be that the system must support local date and time formats that are commonly used
in the student's country or region now we have the reporting requirement section some templates
may include reporting requirements as part of the data requirements but I like to keep them
separate at the end because sometimes these requirements are implemented much later than
the actual solution so for each report you'll have a list of requirements including report
title headers and Footers specification rules and conditions field order grouping totaling and maybe
a sample so for the report title I would just say the report title is student enrollments report
for headers and photos I would say that the report header must contain the report title
patrons name and the date range specified for special rules and conditions I might have that
the report must receive a date range input to generate results for special rules and conditions
I'd specify that the report must receive a date range input to generate results for field order
I'd specify that the fields should be in the following order including student ID student
name enrollment date and student department for grouping I'd specify that the report must
allow for grouping by department for totaling I might specify that the report must total the
number of enrollments based on all enrollments or filtered enrollments and generally a sample
report will be helpful you could include it here or you can include it as a part of the appendix
so for glossary of terms I might have a list of terms here so for example a prospective
student is anyone who needs Services related to the Department of Education but has not been
admitted into the university for the appendix I might have several attachments including the
BRD the current state process map future State process Maps the data dictionary um or maybe the
report samples and then finally I would have my approvals and sign off and of course these will be
our decision-making stakeholders for the project and once we get sign off the software requirement
specification will serve as the blueprint for our design discussions and documentation as well
as a baseline for any requirement changes well there you have it folks that's what you need to
know to craft a well-defined software requirement specification if you learned something new be sure
to tell me about it in the comments I'd love to hear your feedback also be sure to check out all
the business analysis and certification training we have for you available at the badoc.com thank
you so much for watching have a productive and prosperous day and I'll see you next time bye now
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