Write a requirement an agent can follow
One testable statement, the reason in plain words, and criteria that a test can check.
For: Product owner, Project lead
Checklist
- Who is it for, and why does it matter (the objective it serves)?
- How much: can it be measured? "Fast" is not a requirement; "under one second for 95% of loads" is.
- How will we know: at least one acceptance criterion (required before Approved or Authority).
- What it is not: say what is out of scope.
Requirement or design?
A requirement says what should change and belongs to an initiative. What the solution already does is its design (FDR, NFDR, TDR, BDR, ADR); the work that implements the requirement carries the design change, applied when the work is Done.
Example
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| The app should be fast. | Lists load in under one second (p95) with 1,000 records. |
| Users can manage bookings. | A patient can move an appointment up to 2 hours before it starts. |