The Project Management Body of Knowledge, Seventh Edition defines requirements as
“a condition or capability that is required to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need.”
Requirements are specific, measurable, and achievable conditions or features that a project or system must meet to fulfil its purpose and stakeholders’ needs
| Business Requirements | • High-level needs of an organization. • Business and project objectives for traceability. • Business rules for the performing organization. • Guiding principles of the organization. |
| Stakeholders Requirements | • Needs that come directly from a project stakeholder. • Impacts to other organizational areas. • Impacts to other entities inside or outside the performing organization. • Stakeholder communications and reporting requirements |
| Solution Requirements | Any feature, function, product, service, or result of a project. |
| Functional Requirements | Focus on the behaviours of the product such as actions, processes, and data. |
| Nonfunctional Requirements | Are any conditions that must be present for the outcome to be successful such as security, reliability, and safety. |
| Transition and Readiness Requirements | • Temporary capabilities necessary for project work to get done. • Support and training requirements. • Reporting requirements. |
| Project Requirements | • High-level requirements that the overall project must meet. These can be actions, processes, or any other condition of the project. • Levels of service, performance, safety, compliance, and so on. • Acceptance criteria. |
| Quality Requirements | Any condition that the outcomes of a project are validated against. |
Requirements should be Unambiguous (measurable and testable), Traceable, Complete, Consistent & acceptable to key stakeholders
- Unambiguous: Requirements should be explicit and free of uncertainty, so everyone involved understands their meaning and intent, avoiding misunderstandings.
- Measurable and Testable: Each requirement should have criteria for success, allowing validation through testing, and ensuring that objectives are met precisely.
- Traceable: Requirements should be linked to their sources and origin, enabling a better understanding of the project’s context and facilitating change management.
- Complete: Requirements should encompass all necessary details, leaving no critical aspects overlooked, to achieve the project’s goals comprehensively.
- Consistent: Requirements must not contradict or conflict with each other, promoting a cohesive understanding among stakeholders for smoother development.
- Acceptable to Key Stakeholders: Requirements must align with stakeholders’ expectations to ensure their satisfaction and project success through active engagement and collaboration.
Comparison of Scope and Requirements
- The project scope is for the team to deliver i.e. identifies the list of activities/tasks that need to be done in order to fulfil the requirements.
- Requirements are details of scope, and they are defined and refined throughout the project Initiation and planning phase. Requirements are defined by the customer.
A challenge with these two is that on a common day of a project, they largely mean the same and many uses them interchangeably.
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