Functional requirements

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Purpose

Functional requirements state what the system must be able to do. The requirements provide:

• Parameters for designing the system and identifying metadata requirements.

• Criteria for testing the system (used in initial release and future iterations and upgrades).

• Planning guidelines for developing the system (improve existing or add new functionality).

• Documentation for standards compliance (link requirements to relevant international or national descriptive standards)

• A framework for structuring user-end documentation (step-by-step procedures for how to do things in the system).

Organization

Functional requirements are organized hierarchically, with high-level requirements broken down into sub- and sub-sub-requirements. To facilitate cross-references and links, each requirement has been assigned an alpha-numeric code: the alpha prefix designates the type of requirement (FR = functional requirement), the number establishes its position in the hierarchy. Six main functional requirements have been identified:

FR-1 Implement a system of control

FR-2 Add / edit content

FR-3 Translate content

FR-4 Access content

FR-5 Import / export content

FR-6 Administer the system

Information

Each functional requirement includes some or all of the following information:

• Requirement number: FR-x.x.x, unique tracking number assigned to requirement.

• Requirement name: descriptive name assigned to requirement.

• Specification: brief description of requirement; users of the application must be able to do X, the system must be able to do X.

• Context (parent requirements): links to higher-level requirements, if applicable.

• Sub-requirements: links to lower-level requirements, if applicable.

• Source quotations: links to standards or other documents: why must the applicable be able to do X?

• Associated metadata requirements: what data must the application capture in order to be able to do X?

• Associated quality requirements: what design and interface features must the application have to do X well?

• Associated technical requirements: what system architecture, hardware / software configurations, and programming rules must the application implement to do X?

• ICA-AtoM implementation: brief description of how ICA-AtoM implements X.

• Known issues: brief indication of known problems or limitations in the current version of ICA-AtoM that should be addressed in future releases.

• Use cases: links to descriptions of user-end scenarios relating to the requirement and how they are handled in ICA-AtoM.

• User Manual sections: links to the User manual sections that provide step-by-step instructions for doing X.

Note that most of this detail will only be found at the lower-level requirements. Higher-level requirements will typically only include the requirement name, number, specification, and source quotation, with links to the lower-level sub-requirements.

Index of functional requirements

The following is the full index of functional requirements identified to date.

FR-1 Implement a system of control

• FR-1.1 Define system scope
  • FR-1.1.1 Specify data input methods
  • FR-1.1.2 Specify repositories that will contribute descriptions
  • FR-1.1.3 Specify languages in which descriptions will be accessible
  • FR-1.1.4 Specify individuals who will contribute descriptions

• FR-1.2 Implement a system of intellectual control
  • FR-1.2.1 Describe material at multiple levels of arrangement
  • FR-1.2.2 Establish the highest level of arrangement
  • FR-1.2.3 Establish the number of levels of arrangement
  • FR-1.2.4 Comply with descriptive standards
  • FR-1.2.5 Establish level of detail required

• FR-1.3 Implement a system of administrative control

• FR-1.4 Implement a system of physical control

FR-2 Add / edit content

• FR-2.1 Appraise materials

• FR-2.2 Acquire archival materials

• FR-2.3 Store archival materials

• FR-2.4 Preserve archival materials

• FR-2.5 Describe archival materials
  • FR-2.5.1 Identify units of description
  • FR-2.5.2 Describe context (origin and custody) of archival materials
  • FR-2.5.3 Describe content and structure of archival materials
  • FR-2.5.4 Indicate conditions of access and use of archival materials
  • FR-2.5.5 Indicate related archival materials

• FR-2.6 Describe actors that interact with archival materials
  • FR-2.6.1 Identify actors
  • FR-2.6.2 Describe the nature, context, and activities of actors
  • FR-2.6.3 Indicate relationships between actors
  • FR-2.6.4 Identify related archival materials

• FR-2.7 Describe institutions that have custody of archival materials

• FR-2.8 Control descripiton records

• FR-2.9 Assign access points to descriptions

• FR-2.10 Administer access to archival materials

• FR-2.11 Promote archival materials

FR-3 Translate content

FR-4 Access content

FR-5 Import / export content

FR-6 Administer the system