And a software requirements specification helps you lay the groundwork for product development. What Is in a Software Requirements Specification Document? A software requirements specification (SRS) is a document that describes what the software will do and how it will be expected to perform. Writing Software Requirements Specifications For technical writers who haven’t 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. Have you ever wondered where to find quality requirements gathering templates? Every project manager has been there. Most of the time an Excel spreadsheet is substituted for a simple, intermediate or advanced requirements gathering template.

The Right Tool for the Job

If you're looking for a 'one size, fits all' requirement gathering template, this probably isn't the resource or you. But if you have some basic, complicated or somewhere in-between, project needs that need to be met — keep reading.

No one should be satisfied with cost overruns, endless miscommunication, or client/vendor embarrassment. From software development to movie producing. . .all of the above issues fall in the territory of project management. However, too many companies accept the status quo of project responsibility. Sometimes a company will have 15 different authors of one requirements gathering template. Not when you have a clear basis to work from. This is where the following templates come in.

Yes, the information will be substantially different — and your template will probably resemble nothing of the following. Yet, having a solid platform to work from is paramount for solid project managers.

Take a look at the following templates and see if they'll work for you. The documents range from simple (for basic projects) to complicated (for, well. . .in depth projects). Enjoy.

1. Simple Project Requirements Template

This requirements gathering template (see download link below) is used by many technology services to kick off and properly manage the initial and continuing work flow of managers and employees. Let's break things down to see what kind of features it offers:

  • Assigned roles and responsibilities. As you see in the image, Page 3 jumps right into things by assigning roles and responsibilities from the beginning. There's nothing more important in project management then getting started on the right foot. This is one reason why a document of this caliber should be drafted by one author. That's not to recommend a lack of proper review and feedback. However, don't try and assign authority by committee when dealing with requirements gathering templates.
  • Rated and organized priorities. Pages 5-10 are where the meat is. Requirements. Page 5 lists the official requirements priority key:
    • High: The application cannot function properly without this requirement.
    • Medium: The efficiency of the application would be greatly improved by this requirement.
    • Low: This feature would be nice to have; it may consist of cosmetic changes, non-critical inquiries, or other

      non-critical updates.

  • Requirements flexibility. Pages 6-10 list specific requirements to the project: rated high, medium or low of course. Keep in mind most of the requirements are rated high and medium. Do notice one thing: they aren't listed from high to medium. . .yes, the majority of 'high' requirements are at the top – but there is a 'medium' thrown in towards the bottom. In terms of organization, the project manager should decide whether category or rating is more important. Plenty of space is available to list the requirements in detail. This template lists the order #, description and priority. Remember, this is a template. More features can be added or omitted.

Link to Template: Download here. On the download screen, please choose the SC_VINE_PRD.doc file.

Image credit(s): Appriss, https://www.appriss.com

2. Intermediate Project Requirement sTemplate

All software project developers should immediately skip to this section. The reason why this requirements gathering template is listed as 'intermediate' is primarily because of the detailed documentation and functions. As always, you can take this template, blend it up, re-organize and completely make it your own.

Software is one area where finding the right requirements gathering template, separate from standard programming doc

umentation, is mandatory. Why? When you have more then one team working on design, programing and implementation, things can get out of control quick. And, besides the 'out of control' tendency, internal departments (finance and accounting) and 3rd party vendors also like to know what is going on. Enough said. Let's take a look.

It's important not to buy into the 'confusing makes it right,' dogma. Just because no one outside of development can understand it, doesn't make it correct. Projects mean exactly that. Everyone is working.

Here's how this requirements gathering template can solve these issues.

Software requirements specification template word

Link to Template: Download here. Click on the 'Software Requirements Specification Template' link under the bold 'Requirements Engineering' heading.

Image credit(s): Process Impact, https://www.processimpact.com

3. Advanced Project Requirements Template

Ready for the grand finale? Call it whatever you want. This requirements gathering template is one of a kind. Exact in natur

e—enough to make the novice's head spin. Ok, lets not trump things up too much. Just dig in and find out for yourself.

As you'll see, the examples in this document contain ideas for objectives, scopes, marketing plans and legal briefs. No reason to over explain, check out the details below.

Software Requirements Template .doc

Link to Template:Download here. Swords and sandals gladiator 3 full version movie.

Image credit(s): MS Forum, https://www.msforum.org

Summary

No matter what requirements gathering template you use, be sure and find one that fits your business model and company structure. All of these templates can be useful, regardless of the size of budget, company or project. The key is to find a template that encompasses order and controls cost overruns.

Never forget: If you failed to notice, there have been several recurring themes: responsibilities, requirements and revisions. These are the keys to a successful project and quality project document. All three will help you have a clearly defined task, make sure it's done in a timely manner and help put out 'fires' since plan variations are bound to take place.

References

Editors Note: This Business Requirements Document, or BRD Template is one in a series of templates to help readers plan and manage communications and content management activities, resources and deliverables. We welcome ideas and suggestions for other TechWhirl Templates Library materials.

Definition:

The Business Requirements Document, or BRD provides a thorough description of what a new (or enhanced) product should do to meet the business objectives of the organization, the rationale behind the decision to develop the product, and the high-level factors that impact the ability of the organization to develop and deploy. Most often used to plan software development or other IT projects in non-Agile or hybrid environments, the BRD synthesizes input from stakeholders and analysis of the current business situation to provide a technology-neutral description of what the product should do, rather than how it should do it. The BRD often includes data flow or process diagrams that illustrate how the current state, or As-Is, processes occur, as well as high level diagrams that show how the future state will operate.

Purpose:

The Business Requirements Document is most often used in connection with development of software application, but could be used to develop any product or service, since it describes business needs and goals, the processes required to meet them, and the key operational and enviromental factors that influence what is built and why.

Relevance:

Development projects are established to accomplish a set of business objectives (e.g. meeting a need in the marketplace), to which a product or service is integral. The BRD is essential to describing the processes and itneractions between the system and users so that a technical design can be created, and development work can commence. Business analysts typically draft the BRD after analyzing the current state (the existing system or set of processes) and collect feedback from users in the form of use cases, which are most often combined into a separate use case document that informs the BRD. They also work with project management and technical experts to determine risks, assumptions and constraints that could impact the development of the solution. The development team can then fully flesh out the solution in technical and design specifications.

Using the Template:

  1. Download the BRD Template in MS Word.
  2. Review existing development project documentation to understand the overall objectives of the product
  3. Organize and detailed requirements gathering meetings with existing/prospective users of the product to determine what the product should do.
  4. Locate or compile descriptions of the current state processes and use cases
  5. Organize business requirements into logical groupings.
  6. Complete the BRD template with objectives, project perspectives, requirements and ancillary information.
  7. Validate the information with subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders.
  8. Send the draft out for review.
  9. Edit the BRD based on feedback.
  10. Obtain approval of the BRD from project stakeholders
  11. Use the approved BRD to create additional development documentation such as technical designs, information architecture, and quality assurance and content planning documentation.

Agile Software Requirements Template

Related Resources:

Do you have other templates that work well for the products or services you support? Feel free to contact us and submit your templates. We’ll provide credit to you for assisting the TechWhirl community and contributing to the TechWhirl Templates Library.