Functional requirements
Please note that ICA-AtoM is no longer actively supported by Artefactual Systems.
Visit https://www.accesstomemory.org for information about AtoM, the currently supported version.
Main Page > System Requirements > Functional requirements
Purpose
Functional requirements state what the system must be able to do. The requirements provide:
- Parameters for designing the system.
- 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).
Structure
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 (FNC = functional requirement), the number establishes its position in the hierarchy. Six main functional requirements have been identified:
- FNC-1 Implement a system of control
- FNC-2 Add / edit content
- FNC-3 Translate content
- FNC-4 Access content
- FNC-5 Import / export content
- FNC-6 Administer the system
- 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 | FNC-x.x.x (unique tracking number assigned to requirement. |
---|---|
Requirement name | Descriptive name assigned to requirement. |
Requirement specification | Brief description of requirement: users of the application must be able to do X, system must do X. |
Source quotation | Links to standards or other documents: why must the applicable be able to do X? |
Associated metadata requirements | Links to 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 | Links to 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.