Demystifying Software Requirements: What You Need to Know

What are Software Requirements?

Software requirements can be envisaged as the blueprint of any development project. They specify exactly what the software should do and how it should do it, thereby ensuring that the final product meets the needs and expectations of its users.

Types of Software Requirements:

Business Requirements: These revolve around the general objectives of the organization or the customer. These provide information related to the general features, rather than detailed aspects.

User Requirements: These are the specifications of what the users need to perform. They ensure that the system will actually meet the needs of the users.

Functional Requirements: Everything that the system is to do. In a point-of-sale system, handle sales transactions, inventory tracking, and report generation.

Non-Functional Requirements: These are more in the line of how the system performs. This involves things like how many users it can handle simultaneously, whether it is secure, or easy to use. 

Who Are Stakeholders?

A stakeholder is anyone or any group that has a concern with or will be involved with the project. This could be internal team members working on the project or external, such as clients and customers, even regulatory bodies. A lot of a project rests with a stakeholder since they bring in different needs and perspectives that help shape the outcome into something meaningful and successful.

What is a Context Diagram?

A context diagram is kind of a map that indicates where your software fits into the larger picture. It describes the boundary between the system and everything outside of it. It also depicts the connections to outside entities and how information flows between them. This is something that can help provide a rather simple, top-level view that can be used in project documents such as the Software Requirements Specification (SRS).

What is a Use Case Model?

A use case model is described when a system is expected to be used and represents all the use cases along with the actors involved. Use cases can be described as specific tasks or functions that the system has to perform, while actors are described as those entities that communicate with the software. This model depicts what it should do from an external point of view-to the things the user should see and needs without delving into the inner working of the system.