{"id":960,"date":"2023-02-15T12:04:52","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T12:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/?p=960"},"modified":"2023-02-15T12:05:36","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T12:05:36","slug":"functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/blog\/functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Functional Requirements 101: A Project Manager&#8217;s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >TABLE OF CONTENTS:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/blog\/functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide\/#Functional_versus_Non-Functional_Project_Requirements\" title=\"Functional versus Non-Functional Project Requirements.\">Functional versus Non-Functional Project Requirements.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/blog\/functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide\/#Why_Are_Functional_Requirements_Important\" title=\"Why Are Functional Requirements Important?\">Why Are Functional Requirements Important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/blog\/functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide\/#How_to_Craft_a_List_of_Functional_Requirements\" title=\"How to Craft a List of Functional Requirements.\">How to Craft a List of Functional Requirements.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanagementdocs.com\/blog\/functional-requirements-101-a-project-managers-guide\/#Best_Practices_for_Writing_Functional_Requirements\" title=\"Best Practices for Writing Functional Requirements.\">Best Practices for Writing Functional Requirements.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Your path to delivering a successful project runs directly through a list of functional requirements. Get this part right, and you are well on your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide provides a closer look at the two types of project functional requirements and outlines the steps a project manager should take to gather, document, and manage them effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-functional-versus-non-functional-project-requirements\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Functional_versus_Non-Functional_Project_Requirements\"><\/span><strong>Functional versus Non-Functional Project Requirements<\/strong>.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Functional requirements are the software capabilities that the stakeholders or the business expect at the completion of the project. These are considered <em>functional<\/em> requirements. Sometimes they are referred to as the <em>business <\/em>requirements because these are the needs of the business or end user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once those are established, the technical team can create a list of <em>non-functional <\/em>requirements<em>. <\/em>&nbsp;Sometimes, they are also referred to as the <em>technical<\/em> requirements because they list what it\u2019s going to take on the technical side to properly execute the functional list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both types of requirements are equally important to your success. When you have a complete understanding of what is required on all sides, you reduce financial risk and increase the likelihood your project will be delivered on time and meet stakeholder expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-are-functional-requirements-important\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Are_Functional_Requirements_Important\"><\/span><strong>Why Are Functional Requirements Important?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many project failures can be traced to an incomplete list of requirements. Often, it starts with a lack of communication. A project manager neglects to involve users, or they do not collect a complete list of requirements. That leads to confusion about what should be on the functional list, and that inevitably leads to an incomplete list of what the non-functional requirements should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A clear understanding of requirements also avoids scope creep and wasted time. For instance, if you aren\u2019t clear about the mission, you may end up doing things that do not directly relate to the project. Or, if there is a misunderstanding and a portion of the project needs to be redone, your schedule will be interrupted, and your team members may become frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Requirements serve as the foundation for the design, development, and testing phases of the project, and define what success looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-craft-a-list-of-functional-requirements\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Craft_a_List_of_Functional_Requirements\"><\/span><strong>How to Craft a List of Functional Requirements<\/strong>.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your first step is to meet with the stakeholders and get very clear on what they want and need. Ask lots of questions and record the details. When you\u2019re confident you know what your project\u2019s mission is, create a list of the functional requirements. Run it past stakeholders to be sure you have captured everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hand this list over to your technical team. They will take the functional requirements and figure out what is needed on the backside (technically) to make those functions operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Project functional requirements are the specific features and capabilities that the end product must have. For example, a customer hosting a conference will have specific needs such as the ability for attendees to register, pay for their entry, choose break-out sessions, and book a hotel. These specific features are the <em>functional<\/em>requirements of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using our example above, a list of functional requirements may look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>User registration and login<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Documentation with a confirmation number<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receipts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Session Sign-ups<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile access to documents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time document updates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ability to book hotels and transportation from website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integration with third-party tools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Non-Functional Requirements for the above list might look similar to this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Performance &#8211; response time of less than 3 seconds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Security &#8211; protection against hacking attempts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Usability &#8211; user-friendly interface<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scalability &#8211; ability to support at least 500 concurrent users<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Availability &#8211; system must be available 99.9% of the time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interoperability &#8211; integration with other systems and tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reliability &#8211; ability to recover from failures and provide data consistency<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintainability &#8211; ability to upgrade and update the system easily<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Compliance &#8211; adherence to relevant regulations and standards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accessibility &#8211; ability to use the system by people with disabilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-best-practices-for-writing-functional-requirements\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Practices_for_Writing_Functional_Requirements\"><\/span><strong>Best Practices for Writing Functional Requirements<\/strong>.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First and foremost, your language must be consistent and understandable. Do not use terms that are too technical or that could be interpreted in more than one way. The object is to make sure that everyone is on the same page and understands the project\u2019s goals, regardless of technical expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a project manager takes the time to define in detail the functional requirements of a project, it\u2019s much more likely the non-functional requirements will support the success of the project. They are two distinct categories, and they are both important to a successful outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your path to delivering a successful project runs directly through a list of functional requirements. Get this part right, and you are well on your way. This guide provides a closer look at the two types of project functional requirements and outlines the steps a project manager should take to gather, document, and manage them&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v22.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Functional Requirements 101: A Project Manager&#039;s Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many project failures can be traced to an incomplete list of requirements. 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