Functional and Non-Functional Requirements Simply Put!: Simple Requirements Decomposition / Drill-Down Techniques for Defining IT Application Behaviors and Qualities

Defining solution-level requirements (aka functional and non-functional requirements) is a core competency for anyone in an organization responsible for defining future Information Technology (IT) applications. “Functional and Non-Functional Requirements – Simply Put!” will give

• Business Analysts,
• Systems Analysts,
• Agile Product Owners,
• Product Managers,
• Subject Matter Experts (a.k.a. SMEs),
• and really “anyone wearing the BA hat”

simple, repeatable techniques for extracting solution-level specifications from business and stakeholder requirements that are expressed in complete sentence form.

My co-author, Angela, and I have used these techniques on hundreds of IT projects around the globe and we know the value each provides. Using these approaches will improve your ability to identify and document requirements at the level of detail that solution providers (vendors or developers) need to deliver the right technology for their organization.

The presented techniques will work on any set of well-expressed requirement statements. However, they were specifically designed for and work best with requirement statements that follow the “Rules for Writing Effective Requirements” that we present in our course and book “Writing Effective Requirements for IT – Simply Put!”.
Regardless of your job title or role, if you are involved in defining future business solutions, this book will help you communicate your business needs to solution providers. It will reduce the potential for misunderstandings that undermine IT’s ability to deliver the right technology for the business.

Upon successful completion of this course, you can:

• Decompose Business and Stakeholder Requirement Statements to identify Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
• Give those responsible for designing, building, and/or buying the solution the kind of information they need to make the decisions that are right for the business
• Identify Informational, Performance, and Constraining Requirements from a list of Functional Requirements
• Document and manage Business, Stakeholder, Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
• Capture and clarify Business Rules and External Constraints that mandate limits to the delivered solution
• Develop measurable Solution Requirements that facilitate End-User Acceptance Testing

The course includes optional, online exercises with immediate feedback featuring our recommended resolution and the rationale behind it. At the end of the course, a “Final Exam’ will allow you to test your understanding of how all of the presented ideas work together to make your requirements more easily understood by all respective target audiences.

About the Authors:

Angela and Tom Hathaway have trained, consulted, mentored and coached thousands of business analysts around the world for organizations from small businesses to Fortune 100. Based on their combined 70+ years of experience in information technology and business analysis, they serve up a unique perspective on this burgeoning field of knowledge.