How to Write Unique Functional Specifications Before Starting to Code?
I have recently been asked to prepare some professional TE (technical evaluation) and TD (technical design) documents by one of my friends that I used to work together couple of years ago. He currently runs his own small IT consulting company here in Atlanta, and he was in a need of new format of these documents for a new client. He didn’t want something that is just a “copy and paste” of some other documentations that can be easily found on the internet. He was basically looking for a well written functional specifications that both his new client (which I guess not a computer savvy) and his application developer can understand what the final product will look like at the end.
Even though I wasn’t going to copy and paste anything from the net, but it wouldn’t hurt me to search about how to write a successful functional specifications for technical projects and I found this resource written by Allen Smith. If anyone would be asked to write functional specifications from scratch, it will be a good starting point.
Thanks Allen for sharing this great piece of writing!
Hi,
I also have to prepare something like that but I do not know much about it. I just copy the question. Could you please help me how to start and write the functional specifications for the given case?
Case:
A bank would like to develop a software to allow customers transfer money from his/her account to another customer’s account using ATMs.
You, as a system analyst, are supposed to prepare a functional specification document for developers.
Your specifications should include the following items:
- Glossary
- Definition of the Project
- Basic Principles
- Goals of the Project
- Out-of-Scope
- Process Flowchart
- Activities
- Business Needs
- Data Fields: Data used in the activities
- User Interfaces: Screen shots
- User Profiles and Roles
- Documents to Be Produced
- Log and Security Needs
- Messages (Error, Warning, …)
Your specifications should:
- Cover everything (For any missing information, use your creativity!).
- Should be written concisely, correctly, and consistently.
- Should be edited from beginning to end a few times after you think it is done.
Thanks in advance,
Tekin
Tekin
December 25, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Hello Tekin,
Following reading from Joel’s blog can be a good starting point for you:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000036.html
You can also download a useful Word draft from the following page:
http://www.softwarereality.com/lifecycle/functionalspec.jsp
Hope these links help!
Mustafa Basgun
December 25, 2008 at 9:47 PM