WritingSoftwareRequirementsSpecifications(doc).docVIP

Writing Software Requirements Specifications by Donn Le Vie, Jr. Heres the scenario: Youre finishing up your latest HTML Help project...no more late nights or weekends...back to a normal 50-hour work week. Thats when the development team lead strolls into your office and says she just got your managers okay for you to help the development team put together the functional requirements specification template for the next major project. A what? you ask with a look of semi-shock. Panic sets in. What did I do to deserve this? I dont even know where to start! Maybe someone on the TECHWR-L list can help For technical writers who havent had the experience of designing software requirements specifications (SRSs, also known as software functional specifications or system specifications) templates or even writing SRSs, they might assume that being given the opportunity to do so is either a reward or punishment for something they did (or failed to do) on a previous project. Actually, SRSs are ideal projects for technical writers to be involved with because they lay out the foundation for the development of a new product and for the types of user documentation and media that will be required later in the project development life cycle. It also doesnt hurt that youd be playing a visible role in contributing to the success of the project. This article will describe what an SRS is and why its important, discuss how and why technical writers should be involved with them, and discuss the critical elements for writing an SRS. Although this article does not attempt to address all aspects of developing SRSs, it aims to help you determine the scope for such a project, to provide some guidelines for writing SRSs, and to provide additional resources. Hopefully with this information, youll not be asking, Why me? but proclaiming Why not me? What is a Software Requirements Specification? An SRS is basically an organizations understanding (in writing) of a customer or potential clients s