Chapter 15
Requirements
Requirements are central to the IT system or solution because they are directly determined by the solution's goals. While goals are often broadly stated, they are not actionable until they are rationalized into smaller elements that can be enabled by the application of relevant technology. In this sense, requirements are actionable goal components.
The definition of a requirement is something wanted or needed. If it is no longer wanted or needed, it ceases to be a requirement. Requirements are classified as either user requirements or system requirements. User requirements describe what a user needs to perform his or her job. A system requirement states what the system must provide to satisfy or help satisfy the user requirement.
It therefore follows that the requirements definition is incomplete if, when all requirements are realized, their achievement has failed to fully implement a system that provides the services the user needs to perform his or her job, and has therefore failed to achieve the project goals. Based on the centrality of requirements to a project's goals, great care must be taken to ensure that the requirements were accurately delineated and understood from the inception of information systems development. The deliverable for the project requirement specification phase is the solution requirements specification document.
Solution Requirements Specification
The solution requirements specification document identifies ...
