Overview

Functional requirements are specific descriptions of the features, capabilities, and behaviors that a software system or product must possess to meet the needs of its users and stakeholders. These requirements outline what the system should do, how it should behave, and what functions it should perform.

Functional Requirements

Functional requirements are typically documented in a software requirement specification (SRS) and serve as a foundation for designing, developing, and testing the software. Functional requirements provide data to help the software team to know what exactly the functions do and how the system should perform and adhere to the functions.

The requirement contains various descriptions of the type of data, operations performed by each function, output, workflow, the reports generated output, the various users who can use it and how should the overall system meet the requirements.

The document is purely non-technical and can be understood by any common man without prior technical knowledge.

Examples

Here are some examples of functional requirements:

User Registration

A simple login page where the user can enter a username and password to register and log into the system.

• Users must be able to register with a unique username and password.
• The form contains three fields that accept the username, password, and email address of the user.
• The form should contain a submit button to submit the data.
• Registered users should be able to log in with their correct credentials.
• Users should have different levels of access based on their roles (e.g., admin, regular user).

Order Processing:

Users should be able to add items to their shopping cart.
Users should be able to view their cart and make changes before placing an order.
The system should process orders, update inventory, and generate order confirmation emails.

Functional requirements should be detailed, specific, and clearly understandable by both the development team and stakeholders to ensure that the final product meets the intended goals and functionalities.