Systems Requirements and Business Process Modelling Questions & Answers

I have been involved in Systems Requirements and Business Process Modelling for my clients. I am giving below some of the QUESTIONS and my ANSWERS to these in this Article. Hope it helps!!

[Q1] What are the topics for SRS models?

 Before discussing Topics of an SRS, we must first understand what an SRS is:

An SRS document is the output of requirements analysis. Requirements analysis involves obtaining a clear and thorough understanding of the product. The SRS should be a consistent, correct, unambiguous, and complete document. An SRS should at least define the following:

Objective of the SRS

•             The functional requirements of the system as documented in the SRS document should clearly describe each function, which the system would support along with the corresponding input and output data set. A flowchart showing the information flow among the functions , makes things easier to understand

•             The non-functional requirements deal with the characteristics of the system that cannot be expressed as functions. Examples of non-functional requirements include aspects concerning maintainability, portability, and usability. The non-functional requirements include aspects concerning maintainability, portability, and usability. The non-functional requirements may also include reliability issues, accuracy of results, human-computer interface issues, and constraints on the system implementation.

•             External interfaces of the system: They identify the information that is to flow ‘from and to’ to the system.

•             Performance requirements

•             Logical database requirement

•             Software System attributes

•             Constraints

•             System Requirements

Topics of SRS: What is the SRS meant for? A brief description is given in the Objective itself. Examples of Topics of SRS are : SRS for a Billing system for a GSM Telecom operator ; SRS for a ecommerce Portal for Printers ; SRS for a unified Ticketing system for Metro, Bus and Taxi services, etc…

[Q2] In absence of a proper SRS document, how can one go about testing? What are the options a tester may have in such cases?

I would not recommend Testing (at least the Functional Testing) to be done without a SRS. In case a SRS is not available, Use cases can be used which are easy to develop using tools like Visio. Testing without having a SRS or Use Case is like trying to paint a wall without applying a Putti (or Primer in case of a paint), it will soon wear off!!

[Q3] What are the best practices for converting business requirements to functional requirements?

I have been practicing the following process:

1.            Business Analysis - Why are we doing this, what are the benefits, what problems is it going to solve , what are the goals, critical success factors and Critical to Quality parameters

2.            Flow chart - detailed activity wise description, mentioning the information inputs, outputs, controls, reports, data bases, entities, etc.

3.            Systems Analysis - Either a Use case analysis or a SRS containing the Functional and non-functional aspects of Systems requirements

4.            I follow a risk approach and incorporate it at every stage of analysis. Non Functional aspects cover the Risks and mitigation

5.            This way, I have found the process to be very helpful and useful for understanding, development and Training purpose

[Written by Anil Oberai, Expert in Requirements, Process analysis and Modelling, RFP preparation]

This article is written by Mr. Anil Oberai, C.E.O of OberaiITConsultancy, with more than 2 decades of experience in managing and Consulting for IT Projects. Information Security is one of his pillars for consulting. To know more, Pl visit http://aniloberai.branded.me