What a requirements specification delivers — and when you need one
The requirements specification is an old tool; the modern discipline behind it is called Requirements Engineering. Its core has not changed. The more complex a product is, the more disciplines it involves and the more specialists are involved in its development – coordinating all of this calls for structure.
The requirements specification supports exactly this process. Sound, comparable quotes require precise and comprehensive descriptions as complexity increases. Only then can suppliers submit realistic and comparable quotes.
When we create a requirements specification, it achieves two things: it breaks the product down into separable units that can be tendered separately, and it defines the input and output interfaces for each unit through which the units will later come together. These interfaces make it possible to link global manufacturing centrally.
As an example: a system is divided into three units: the substructure for the steel construction firm, the housing for the cold-room manufacturer, and the glazing for the window maker. You select the desired suppliers and send the documents to all of them. Each manufacturer submits a quote for their clearly defined unit. You then compare the quotes and choose the best option for each. Thanks to well-thought-out interfaces, everything can be brought together centrally.
We work according to ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148, the international standard for requirements engineering – in German-speaking countries supplemented by the requirements specification definition in DIN 69901-5.
The shared reference
The requirements specification is more than a quotation document. Throughout the entire development process, it remains the shared reference for everyone involved and grows along with the project.
The main dimensions, the load-bearing capacity of the support structure, or the required speeds are documented there for every party to look up, so no one has to reconstruct them from memory.
A clean requirements specification therefore also serves communication within the project: because everyone involved works from the same written basis, it clears up misunderstandings before they cost money.
Standards
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018 – Systems and software engineering, Life cycle processes, Requirements engineering.
- DIN 69901-5 – Project management, terms (definition of requirements specification / functional specification).
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