Requirement Characteristics

Characterisitcs of a Requirement
Requirements are more than just statements that describe the needs of a client. Good requirements are written in a certain way and have certain characteristics that make them more valuable in how they describe the solution. Some of the characteristics may be built into the requirements when they are initially captured.

Necessary - essential to the purpose of the product
Good requirements should be must have and should be very much in the scope of the project.

Accurate - correct in its description of features & functions
Each requirement must be correct and precise in how it describes the features or function of the solution.

Clear - not subject to interpretation or presumption
Must be straightforward, must be obvious to its meaning and should not have any misinterpretations.

Complete - without need for further clarification
Each requirement represents a full result and not a partial result. Many requirements may contribute to the overall feature of function, but multiple requirements should not be needed to complete one discrete need of the client.

Consistent - with all other requirements
Requirements should not be in conflict with other requirements, they should not contradict the other requirements.

Testable - capable of verification and validation
You need to be able to validate if the requirement exists and is correct, no requirement should be documented that are not testable.

Traceable - through its evolution of development
Requirement should be traceable through out the entire system development life cycle. If a requirement is not traceable in the test phase then it is considered not to be a real requirement.

Requirements should be documented and traced through out the SDLC.

But in the end, make sure: The design of the solution, Matches the nature of the problem