Software Requirement Specification (SRS) Document Checklist

The SRS document is reviewed by the testing person or a group of persons by using any verification method (like peer reviews, walkthroughs, inspections, etc.). We may use inspections due to their effectiveness and capability to produce good results. We may conduct reviews twice or even more often. Every review will improve the quality of the document but may consume resources and increase the cost of the software development. A checklist is a popular verification tool that consists of a list of critical information content that a deliverable should contain. A checklist may also look for duplicate information, missing information, unclear information, wrong information, etc. Checklists are used during reviewing and may make reviews more structured and effective. 

A Software Requirement Specification (SRS) document is a vital component of software development. It outlines the functional and non-functional requirements of the software and serves as a reference for all stakeholders involved in the project. However, creating a comprehensive and accurate SRS document can be a daunting task. That’s where an SRS document checklist comes in handy. In this article, we’ll discuss the essential elements of an SRS document checklist.

1. Purpose and Scope
   The purpose and scope section of an SRS document should provide a high-level overview of the software, its intended audience, and the problem it solves. This section should also outline any constraints, assumptions, and dependencies that may affect the software’s development.
2. Functional Requirements
   Functional requirements describe what the software should do. These requirements should be specific, measurable, and testable. This section should include details about the software’s features, user interface, and data processing.
3. Non-functional Requirements
   Non-functional requirements describe how the software should perform. These requirements should be measurable and testable. This section should include details about the software’s performance, security, reliability, and usability.
4. System Architecture
   The system architecture section should describe the high-level design of the software. This section should include details about the software’s components, interfaces, and data flow.
5. Data Management
   The data management section should describe how the software will handle data. This section should include details about the software’s database, data storage, and data backup and recovery processes.
6. User Documentation
   The user documentation section should describe how users will interact with the software. This section should include details about the software’s user interface, user manuals, and help documents.
7. Testing Requirements
   The testing requirements section should describe how the software will be tested. This section should include details about the software’s test cases, test environment, and test data.
8. Acceptance Criteria
   The acceptance criteria section should describe how the software will be accepted by the stakeholders. This section should include details about the software’s acceptance tests, validation criteria, and sign-off procedures.
9. Project Timeline
   The project timeline section should provide a timeline for the software’s development. This section should include details about the software’s milestones, deliverables, and deadlines.
10. Stakeholder List
    The stakeholder list section should identify all the stakeholders involved in the project. This section should include details about each stakeholder’s role, responsibilities, and contact information.

An SRS document checklist should address the following issues :

1. Correctness : 
   In the SRS document, every requirement stated in the document should correctly represent an expectation from the proposed software. All applicable safety and security requirements must be identified. Also, all the inputs and outputs of each requirement are required and sufficient for the specified processing. For example, If there’s a client requirement for the software to respond to all buttons pressed within 2 seconds, but the SRS states that ‘the software shall respond to all buttons pressed within 20 seconds’, then that will be referred to as incorrectness in the documentation. 
    
2. Ambiguity : 
   The SRS document may contain some ambiguity in the software requirements. For example, If a requirement conveys more than one meaning of a thing, then it will be a serious problem so, to avoid this ambiguity, every requirement must have a single meaning only. Hence, the software requirement statement should be short, correct, precise, and clear. The SRS document checklist must focus on ambiguous words to avoid ambiguity.
    
3. Completeness : 
   The SRS document should be complete in all aspects it must have all the important functional requirements (like hardware faults, I/O errors, computational errors, processing overload, buffer overflow, events failing to occur, etc.) and non-functional requirements needed for the software and this completeness of the SRS document must be checked thoroughly through a checklist.
    
4. Consistency : 
   In the SRS document, the consistency of the document can be maintained if all the stated requirements do not vary from the other stated requirements. Every object is referred to with a unique name and is defined by one set of characteristics that are not in conflict with one another. Also, if the Mathematical equations, acronyms, and abbreviations are defined and used consistently, then the document will be consistent. The checklist must highlight the issues related to inconsistency and should be designed to find inconsistencies.
    
5. Verifiability : 
   In the SRS document, it is said to be verifiable, if and only if, every requirement stated in the document is verifiable. The non-verifiable requirements include statements like ‘good interfaces’, ‘excellent response time’, ‘usually’, ‘well’, etc, which should not be used. The requirements terminology like “shall”, “will”, “may”, etc. should be used. In the document, we should only use measurable terms and must avoid all the indefinite terms.
    
6. Traceability : 
   The SRS document can be traceable if the source of every requirement is defined correctly as it may help in future development. Traceability may help to structure the document and should find a place in the design of the checklist.
    
7. Feasibility : 
   In the SRS document, some of the requirements may not be feasible to implement due to technical reasons or lack of resources so, those such requirements should be identified and accordingly removed from the SRS document. A document checklist can also help us to find some other non-feasible requirements in the software. Like for example, the data expected from external sources must exist at the defined sources, or the data sent to external destinations is expected at those destinations otherwise, the requirements may not be feasible to implement.

Goals of SRS document:

1. Problem Breakdown: it divides the problem into parts.
2. Input to design specification: it serves as the parent document to subsequent documents such as the software design specification and statement of work.
3. Feedback to the the customer: customer is assured that the developing organization understands the issues or problems to be solved.
4. Product validation check: it ensures the good quality of the product.

Advantages of SRS document:

1. Clarity: The SRS document provides an unambiguous description of the requirements, which helps to reduce confusion and misinterpretation.
2. Consistency: The SRS document provides a consistent and structured way to document requirements, which helps to ensure that all requirements are covered.
3. Traceability: The SRS document provides a traceable link between the requirements and the final software product, which helps to ensure that all requirements have been met.
4. Validation: The SRS document can be used as a basis for validating the software, which helps to ensure that the software meets the requirements.

Disadvantages of SRS document:

1. Time-consuming: Creating an SRS document can be time-consuming, especially if the software system is complex and involves many stakeholders.
2. Limited flexibility: Once the SRS document is created, it can be difficult to make changes to it without affecting other parts of the document.
3. Limited user involvement: If the SRS document is created before user involvement, it may not reflect the actual needs and requirements of the users.
4. Misinterpretation: Despite efforts to make the SRS document unambiguous, there may still be some room for misinterpretation, which can lead to errors in the final software product.

In conclusion, an SRS document checklist is an essential tool for software development. It helps ensure that all the requirements are included in the SRS document and that the software meets the stakeholders’ needs. By following this checklist, software developers can create a comprehensive and accurate SRS document that serves as a reference for all stakeholders involved in the project.