project-planning

Functional Specifications vs. Requirements Document


Currently in my comp., there are some changes going on regarding project documentation. There is a LOT of time and effort spent on discussing functional specs vs. requirements doc. However, I don't think anyone here understands the reason why you would use one over the other. Therefore, I don't understand the difference myself.

Can someone shed some light on this matter please? If you have links to articles, blog posts, etc. That would be helpful too.


Solution

  • A Requirements document should specify the requirements from the perspective of the end user.

    User requirements document - Wikipedia

    A Functional spec is a level lower and starts to define how different parts of the system should function at the System Engineering level:

    Functional specification - Wikipedia