How to write software requirement specification

All the app begins with a business idea, and mobile application development starts with an SRS (Software Requirement Specification). With your truly brilliant product idea, the journey of implementation defines whether your app will fail or succeed. The SRD is an essential part of this process. 

Beginning software development without a proper SRS plan leads to a chaotic delay, implementation process, expensive reworks, failed projects, etc. It is a fact that incomplete or inadequate requirements are the common cause of project failure and can cause 50% of defects.

However, to overcome such issues, one has to develop understandable and accurate SRS documentation. In this article, let’s explore how to write SRS and make the project understandable to stakeholders and other participants.

Let’s begin with understanding some basics of SRS.

SRS the full form is Software Requirement Specification is a whole document that describes the software functions, design, features, limitations and goals. 

In simple words, SRS outlines how the app will operate and how the development team should develop the project.

While the client can use it to define your software deliverables and expectations, your software development firm will use it to monitor the work amount, define the technological stack, and form an approximate project cost.

The primary aim of the SRS document is to explicate the potentially unclear features of the software and communicate them well with the team:

• How to build the app as per the client’s requirements
• How the app will function (include some primary use cases)
• The main purpose, behavior, and features of the app

Just like the SOW- statement of work, SRS is a crucial document when you are hiring an offshore software development firm. It serves as a roadmap of your project and guides your team accordingly.

Moreover, it is almost impossible to develop the app like your expectations without the SRS. A proper SRS will guarantee that the development team will develop the product that matches your requirements.

After understanding the proper meaning of the SRS document, let’s seehow to write a proper SRS document.

The development of SRS can be one of the primary things to do when you are planning to create a new product. Writing a perfect SRS it seems daunting that it is essential to build a successful app. Elaborated and accurate SRS will assist the developers with quick and almost error-free software development.

Making the procedure of writing the SRS more manageable and efficient, here’s a simple structure that one can follow to develop the SRS. This structure will be the basic info regarding the project. Here are the six steps one will need to develop an accurate SRS:

Making a proper outline is the first step while writing an SRS document. It will be the framework for the SRS document and assist you in the writing process. One can create an outline or use an SRS template. Here are some important elements to include in the primary outline:

Introduction

• Purpose of the project
• Intended target audience and use
• Scope of the product
• Definitions

General Description

• Business needs
• User needs
• Product constraints and limitations
• Dependencies and assumptions

Software requirements and features

• Software features
• Software functional requirements
• External interface requirements
• Non-functional requirements

Supporting information

Defining the proper purpose of the product is important, as it sets the expectations that we will come back to using the SRS.

Some things to keep in mind when clearing the purpose are:

Product Scope

Define the benefits, goals and objectives that we intend to have for the project. It should be according to the overall business needs. This process is necessary if the other teams will have access to the SRS document of your project.

Intended Use and Intended Audience

Make it clear who in your organization will access the project’s SRS and how they will use it. This includes testers, developers and also PMs (project managers). It includes stakeholders in different departments that includes leadership teams, marketing and sales. Deciding this step will lead to less work to be done in the future.

Acronyms and Definitions

Define and decide the acronyms, key terms and other abbreviations to be used in your SRS document. This feature helps us eliminate ambiguity and ensure that different parties can simply understand the SRS.

If the project contains a huge quantity of ambiguous terminology or industry-specific acronyms, you should consider referencing the project glossary in this section.

In short, this section will be the summary of different SRS documents that allows you to develop a clear picture of what your product will do and what are its functions. In this section, you will get answers to questions like:

• What problems will your project solve?
• Who are their users?
• Why is your software important?

In this section, one has to clearly define the software idea and explain why it will appeal to the users. Describe functions and features clearly and how they fulfill their user requirements.

Also, try to mention whether the project is new or a replacement of the previous one; and make it clear whether it is a stand-alone app or an add-on of the existing system

Moreover, you can highlight the assumptions of your project functionality and requirements.

In most cases, clients do not have an idea about the real functions at the beginning of the software. In this case, relevant users cooperate with you easily to understand the requirements and assign business analysts to assist in it.

If you develop it internally, or with the help of external experts, one should detail different requirements of the app. Describe the information correctly for your dedicated team of developers to understand the project easily. Additionally, if you try to include different use cases, it can vividly illustrate how your customers will interact with the project.

If the client has something more to add in the project like alternative proposals, ideas, information, or references, that might help developers to know the project easily; add that information in this section.

At last, it is time to get the approval of the stakeholders and review the SRS reports carefully. They can add comments on what things are missing, add information, or even remove the not needed information from the SRS document. After verifying that almost everything is easy to understand and implement in the SRS document, it is moved toward web or app development.

After learning about how to write the SRS, now let’s see what is there in an SRS document.

Your software requirement specification- SRS is the blueprint of your project for guiding your development team. It provides all the data one needs to develop while building the software according to the requirements.

However, it should also outline the project’s aim, and describe what the app is supposed to do and how it will function in certain cases. The SRS document can be different in length and format based on the complexity of the app or software and preferred development methodology. However, there are important elements that every SRS document should contain:

• The purpose of the product should be concise and mentioned in the SRS. It defines the software’s intention and aims. This section should address your project outlines and needs that should be fulfilled.
• The description section gives a high-level overview of your software that includes the targeted users, the environment type it operates in, and other relevant data that impacts the development process.
• The performance section of the project should include needs related to its performance in the production environment like reliability, efficiency, speed, scalability, etc.
• The functionality section describes the product features, limitations, and functions or constraints that affect the software’s performance.
• Non-functional requirements address factors such as compatibility, security and maintainability.
• The external interfaces section might include information about how the app will interact with different systems it must stay connected to. So, there are some communication protocols and data formats to be followed. These outlines and protocols like software interface, hardware interface, etc., are mentioned here.
• Different design constraints should be mentioned in the environmental constraints section which will make sure to guide developers regarding which environments can cause constraints in the project.

So, the above information is definitely going to help you develop an effective SRS document for your software development.

Mastering the way of writing an accurate SRS (Software Requirements Specification) document is an important skill for any software developer. By following the guidelines and best practices outlined in this article, you can ensure that your SRS document serves as a reliable blueprint, effectively communicating the project’s objectives, requirements, and expectations to all stakeholders involved. With a well-crafted SRS document in hand, you’ll be equipped to kickstart your project on the right foot, leading to a smoother development process and a successful end result. For more related updates, stay tuned with us, and happy reading!

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