1. Developing Web Specifications

2. In this session... What are specifications?
Developing the requirements
Approaches for managing the requirements

3. Learning Outcomes By the end of this session you will be able to:
Recognise the structure and content of requirements and specifications
Recognise different approaches for managing a requirements… specification
Conduct a competitive analysis or benchmarking exercise to establish metrics for appraising a web site

4. Examples of Specifications:
Information Architecture
Design Document (template)
RMIT Distributed Learning System
Functional Specification Documentation
Requirements Analysis & Logical Design
WOK (Web Publishing Engine)
User Guide
Installation Guide

5. What are specifications?
A detailed, exact statement of particulars, especially a statement prescribing materials, dimensions, and quality of work for something to be built, installed or manufactured

6. Standard formats?
Specifications can (and do) take many formats, and are written for various purposes.
There is no one standard format for web site specifications.
Choose the right tools for the job.

7. Requirements vs. Specifications
Requirements define WHAT should be done
at the outset of the project
Specifications define HOW to do it
e.g., web site documentation, user guide, maintenance guide, style guide, etc…

8. Requirements Specifications
Requirements are the first stage of software development, which defines what the potential users want the system to do.
Requirements should be testable, and will usually be traceable in later development stages.
A common feature of nearly all software is that the requirements change during its lifetime.

9. Developing the Requirements
Step-by-step process…
Facilitation guidelines
Approaches for managing requirements
Requirements and Project planning/scheduling
Requirements and Design and code
Requirements and Testing

10. Summary Specifications describe a project
Requirements describe WHAT, Specifications describe HOW
Choose the right tools for the job