Glossary
Requirements specification: what is expected, set down in writing
The requirements specification states the need, the scope, the constraints and the acceptance criteria of a project. It turns an intention into a shared commitment between client and producer. Two suppliers should read it and produce comparable proposals.
From a stated need to a written one
A requirements specification describes what a project must produce and on what conditions it will be accepted. It states the original need, bounds the scope, lists the constraints of schedule, budget and technical environment, then sets the acceptance criteria. Its quality is measured by a simple test: two different suppliers should be able to read it and produce comparable proposals.
- Need, scope, constraints, acceptance criteria, sign-off
- Two suppliers should draw comparable proposals from it
- Acceptance criteria are written before work begins
The five essential sections
The Design and User Experience programme has candidates write a specification from field research: what users genuinely do becomes a written requirement. The Web and Mobile Development programme starts from the specification to break the work into deliverable, testable increments.
The need
The situation to improve, described from the point of view of whoever lives it, with what makes it costly today.
The scope
What the project covers, stated in the present: every listed item commits the producer.
The constraints
Schedule, budget, technical environment, regulatory obligations and expected compatibilities.
Acceptance criteria
What will be checked on delivery, written so it yields a true-or-false answer.
Sign-off
Who tests, on which dataset, within what time, and what weight a reservation carries.
Programmes that have you write one
2 catalogue programmes put “Requirements specification” to work: 240 credits and 2400 taught hours in total. The official rule holds throughout — one credit stands for 25 hours of work, 10 of them taught. Every line below is recomputed from the programme page: level, duration, credits, taught volume and fees in Guinean francs appear exactly as filed in the official catalogue.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Volume | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Experience Design and Digital Creation | Bachelor's degree | 2 years | 120 credits · 1200 taught hours | 4 800 000 GNF per year |
| Web and Mobile Development | Bachelor's degree | 2 years | 120 credits · 1200 taught hours | 5 200 000 GNF per year |
Going further
Who writes the specification?
The client initiates it, the project manager structures it, and the two validate it together before launch.
Can a specification change mid-project?
Yes, through a written amendment that measures the effect on schedule and budget. That is what keeps the project steerable.
How long should a good specification be?
Whatever makes every requirement checkable. Five precise pages beat forty pages of intentions.
Explore next
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