Project Requirements

Step 2 - Identifying the Requirements and Specifications for the project

Develop the requirements and specifications for the project that will make it "fit for purpose"

Identify the key elements that will be used in your outcome, describe the functional attributes (that is how will it work) and on what platform. These should come from your big idea and there should be a clear link between the two. You are looking to explain what your outcome is going to be, it's key features that make it do what it is supposed to do (as written in your opening statement).
Requirements are the things that cannot be measured but that would be nice to have to ensure that your outcome functions as intended. At this time they may lack detail, remember the proposal is "big picture stuff". For example having a name for your game or a set of playing rules, this would be too much detail at this time.
You should discuss this with your team or end user to ensure that what you have in mind will work.

Once you have a clear idea put it into your proposal document. An example of what this might look like is given below.

What your requirements might look like

You should write a short paragrapgh or bullet point list that declares what it is you are going to make and briefly describes how it will function describing the main attributes that will ensure it does what it is supposed to do it is "fit for purpose".

for example

My final outcome will be a 2D platform game. The player will be reward using a scoring system, there will also be sound effects that will give audio feedback, different sounds for success and failure. It will be a keyboard driven game. The graphics will be animated and colourful to engage the player. It will be designed to play online.

My final outcome will be an animation which can be viewed online through youtube. It will have a voice over from the teacher taking the student through the tutorial. The animation will be controlled using the buttons on youtube pause and play. The animation will hopefully be humorous and light hearted in order to engage the student in the subject.

Specifications - MUST HAVES

Specifications are measurable and can be used to assess if your proposal meets the needs of the user and addresses your identified issue. Generally you can answer yes or no to a specification, for example my animation is less between 2 and 3 minutes. it either is or it is not, this is what makes it a specification.

Think of specifications as a list of MUST HAVES, these are the things your outcome must have in order to function as intended.

What your specifications might look like

You should write a short bullet point list that declares what are the MUST HAVES in order for you proposal to work. These should be measurable, clear and concise. If possible explain why they are important to have.

for example

Animation

The animation will be hosted on youtube so it can be accessed by everyone not just those in school
The animation will be no longer than 3 minutes - viewers prefer short animations and 3 minutes will be long enough to showcase my skills without boring people
The animation will be completed by the 19th August - this is deadline set

Computer Game

The game will be completed by the 19th August
The game will require a windows operating system - The schools computers are all windows machines and as the game is to be played in school to help with maths it needs to be able to run on the school machines.
The game will be a two player game - the idea of a challenge and for students to be able to help each other learn was important to the teacher so the game has to be two player

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