Definition of Requirements

The term requirements definition describes a collection of requirements for a technological system which is as complete as possible. The requirements are pooled in documents called requirement specification or functional specification. From a user-centered product design perspective, requirements definitions review user needs and harmonise them with the needs of other stakeholders, e.g. industrial customers.

A user-centered requirements definition starts with a context analysis and puts first the users, their tasks, and their working context.

The resulting requirements have to be edited and communicated to all project parties involved or affected in a comprehensible way, thus enabling the project team to design a suitable solution. An objective which is understood and shared by all stakeholders is essential for the project success and can be documented in the requirements definition.