Writing System Requirement Documents: DOs and DON’Ts

“Writing System Requirement documents are boring!” – a unanimous cry of countless developers and project managers. 

I don’t blame them. When you don’t have a precise guide on writing system requirement documents that stick, even the most enthusiastic stakeholders will fall asleep. Then, bring them a warm blanket and camomile tea because nothing will wake them until you fix your writing. 

But fear not! 

System requirement documents aren’t a sinister boogie man of the software development world but rather something that’s easily mastered with the dos and don’ts listed in this guide. So next time, instead of ending up in a room full of snoring stakeholders and dry-as-dust system requirement documents, you get I-can’t-wait-to-see-the-project’s-final-look type of faces.

What are system requirement documents?

Being technical: System requirement documents, aka SRS documents, are the cornerstone of any software development project. They serve as a blueprint for the entire project, having the specific requirements that every software system MUST meet. 

The type of information they include are:

• System’s intended use
• Functional requirements 
• Performance requirements
• Non-functional requirements
• Other relevant information needed to guide the development process

Here’s a twist — SRS documents aren’t just the thing shared between developers. Stakeholders and project managers read them, almost as if they are a new tech feed from Morning Brew on Monday morning.

Why? 

Think of system requirement documents as a recipe for a perfect chocolate cake. It outlines what ingredients are required, how much of each, and the instructions on how to make it. 

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As with any chocolate cake, the master chef (project manager) must ensure that it fits the purpose and meets the customer’s (stakeholders’) requirements. Otherwise, you have a tasteless piece of sugar that doesn’t do much and disappoints everyone. 

How to write system requirement documents 

Writing SRS documents is a complex, tedious task. It seems like it’s all soul-sucking work and no fun. It demands a deep understanding of the problem and coming up with a solution on top of those enormous amounts of code. 

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Combine that with the need to communicate all that information effectively to stakeholders, and you have yourself a developer’s worst nightmare — social skills. But don’t panic! 

With the help of these simple steps and a couple of cups of coffee, you’ll become the new Zen Master of writing SRS documents:

1. Define the project scope and know your stakeholders — Know the purpose and goal of the software you’re crafting while keeping an eye on who’ll use the end product and what needs and desires they have.
2. Gather requirements and begin your writing — This is easier said than done, but, in the end, it isn’t such a monster as it seems. Using a secret weapon called the SRS document template, structuring requirements clearly and concisely becomes a walk in the park. 
3. Review and revise — The moment of truth! Have your SRS document reviewed by stakeholders, project managers, and anyone else relevant to the project. But don’t beat yourself up if something needs changing. Acknowledge the feedback and try again. No SRS document ran with a 100% success score right out of the mill. 
4. Approve, implement, and maintain — Congratulations! You finished the challenge! Now, it’s time to implement your SRS document in the software development world and see it grow in the community.

Dos when writing System Requirement Documents –

Use these Dos I’m about to uncover as your SRS document Bible. Your North Star when dealing with complex software projects. Your way of living the frugal stoic-developer life.

They are:

• Use consistent format and structure — Besides understanding the project scope and the objective, having consistent format and structure is a MUST! It makes your document appear like it was written by a master developer from Google with no brain-scratching information. 
• Have specific, measurable, and testable requirements — Requirements with such characteristics are easily verifiable and validated later in the revision stage. By doing so, you’re setting the project for success in the early stages. 
• Get stakeholders in the requirement-gathering process ASAP — Stakeholders are like magical treasure chests of knowledge. Unlocking them in this process saves you enormous time later in the revision stage.  
• Use diagrams and models for sparking life in your SRS document — Stakeholders love when you’re visually representing the system. It sends them a signal that this is something easily understood and implemented. Flowcharts, case, and state diagrams are all things worth leveraging that make stakeholder’s life more enjoyable. 
• Verifying and validating requirements with stakeholders — Feeling ashamed going to stakeholders and verifying the requirements before the development stage is a fire-safe way of sabotaging your project. Frequent requirement validation = better feedback and faster project adjustment. It’s as simple as duck soup!

Don’ts you must avoid when writing system requirement documents

There are gazillion ways of driving SRS documents into a bottomless pit that even the most skilled tech project manager couldn’t pull them out of. 

But these are the main things you should not do at all costs when writing system requirement documents:

• Use subjective and ambiguous language style — Examples like “Software should be user-friendly with good performance and modern design” only lead to confusion and errors in your software development project. Avoid them as the plague, and your SRS document will become a success!
• Put implementation details in the ‘Requirements’ section — Requirements must focus on what the system should do rather than how it should do it. It’s like putting a ball and chain around the ankle of the team’s flexibility and throwing them into the ocean.
• Neglect the non-functional requirements — Don’t let the title deceive you. There’s more to it than meets the eye. Covering security, usability, compliance, compatibility, scalability, and availability, Non-functional requirements are equally important as their twin brother – functional requirements.

As you’ve seen, writing system requirements is a complex task that almost justifies the groans it generates. Yet, it’s also a very important part of developing software, as it helps the team and all of the stakeholders to understand what the solution will be. So, instead of struggling to write your SRS, take these do’s and don’ts into consideration, and you’ll cruise throughout the process.