In Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), functional requirements specify the system’s essential behaviors, outputs, and interactions with users or other systems. They define what a system should do, as opposed to how it does it, serving as a blueprint for system features and operational functions.
Structure of Functional Requirements
1. User Stories or Use Cases: Capture desired functionalities from a user perspective. Examples include system responses to specific user inputs.
2. System Interfaces: Define how different modules interact. For instance, APIs that allow communication between a front-end and back-end.
3. Data Handling Requirements: Describe the data processing aspects, such as CRUD operations for user management or transaction tracking.
Examples of Functional Requirements
Authentication and Authorization: Specifies user login processes, password policies, and access levels.
Search Functionality: Defines how the search module should handle queries, filters, and results.
Payment Processing: Outlines workflows for transactions, including calculations and interactions with third-party payment gateways.
Role in SDLC Phases
During Requirements Gathering, functional needs are defined based on user requirements. These are analyzed and prioritized in Design, where architects ensure alignment with system goals. In Implementation, functional requirements guide developers, helping ensure that each code component meets specified criteria. Finally, Testing validates these requirements through unit and integration tests.
Functional requirements are crucial for developing clear, user-centric systems that address real-world needs directly.
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