Group Name
Date of Version
Member Name 1
Member Name 2
Member Name 3
Member Name 4
Member Name 5
Group Name
Project Title
NEEDS LIST
Date of Version
Version #
Prepared for:
Mr. Sam T. Redwine Jr.
CS 5704: Software Engineering
Virginia Tech
List of Needs
This section details a list of functional needs identified by the main customers of the software-engineering project. The needs are rated on a scale of A-D. The significance of each is stated below:
A. CANNOTES NEEDS OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE.
B. CANNOTES NEEDS OF SECONDARY CONCERN.
C. CANNOTES NEEDS THAT ARE DESIRABLE.
D. CANNOTES NEEDS THAT ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT BASED ON SCHEDULING/COST
Additionally, each Description of Need is numerically ranked relative to other needs with similar Customer Ratings. Ordinal numbers are used in the Customer Ranking column with the number “one” implying primary importance within the letter rating. Successively greater numbers denote relatively lesser importance. This ranking scheme does permit the existence of numerical ties when two needs are valued equally by the customer.
Description Of Need / Customer Rating / Customer Ranking within RatingFirst need described here / A / 1 to max A
Second need described here / A / 1 to max A
…………………………………. / …… / ……
B rated need described here / B / 1 to max B
…………………………………. / …… / ……
C rated need described here / C / 1 to max C
Table. Relative Rankings of Identified Needs.
Appendix List of Need Examples
These examples tend toward the generic and may or may not be relevant to any specific assignment.
Description Of NeedThe customer has a need to define and decompose tasks, activities, and products with an indefinite number of sub-levels, e.g., tasks/subtasks, products/components, etc.
The customer has a need for a tool that provides standard process descriptions that define the types of activities typically involved. (These process descriptions serve as templates to facilitate project planning.)
The customer has a need for a product that has a clear evolutionary path such that it can be enhanced in the following semester.
In comparison to other tools and/or manual processes, The customer has a need for a tool that reduces the effort involved with the planning, management, and tracking of software projects.
The customer needs to be able to maintain the system once it has been delivered.
The customer needs to know when the product is busy working.
The customer has need for flexibility with respect to the threshold range of when exceptions are generated, i.e., the threshold must be a set-able parameter that can be varied for different projects or at different phases of the same project.
The customer has a need for a product that interfaces with Microsoft PowerPoint.
The customer needs the ability to widen the search scope by adding more web URLs in the database, where the web URLs are stored for searching.
The software must be compatible with the Windows® 9x/NT operating system. The customer currently uses Microsoft Internet Explorer and the application should support it.
The entire solution needs to fit on a ZIP (96MB nominal capacity) disk.
The solution should provide capability to the user to update and add to existing information efficiently and easily.
The software solution should be designed with expansion in mind.
The customer needs to spend less than $50 on any shareware product.
The customer especially desires to read relevant papers on the WEB that have not been published, and desires the URL to these papers.
Need compatibility with the customer has a 17” 1024x768 monitor with >256 colors, and has a high-speed connection to the Internet.
The customer likes to use Internet Explorer.
The customer wants the Help features to tell him when to use what tools for the actions that he will be performing.
The customer wants to know what error messages mean, why they were generated, and how to avoid them in the future.
The customer wants to know how to fix problems that may be encountered when using the software.
The customer likes the ability to browse.
The customer desires some means to adjust the order of items presented to him and to easily identify the most relevant.
The customer desires excellent online Help features that describes in detail the product and demonstrates how to use the software products various applications. Comment: MS Word is an acceptable format for Help.
The customer wants column headings to be labeled and described.
The customer would like to include web sites that point to other web sites and links on relevant topics.
The customer desires an automated way to check for broken links, as this feature annoys him and wastes time.
The customer would like all entries to be identified by date entered.
The customer wants to be able to resize columns in a data display.
The customer would like the GUI to interface with a mouse.
The customer has access to a Windows 98/95/NT computer with a Pentium, has Office 2000, Ghost Script (Postscript Viewer), and Adobe Viewer
The customer needs to be provided with a report that details activity and results and highlights (where appropriate).