requirements engineering

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Standardization Program Office.

This handbook provides a comprehensive discussion of the requirements process within the DoD with emphasis on clear, performance-based statements of requirements. The handbook recognizes that a single approach cannot accommodate the varying array of materiel acquisitions. It provides a requirements process, describes the evolution of requirements, provides descriptions of the requirements documents (such as the Mission Needs Statement [MNS], Operational Requirements Document [ORD], Functional Description [FD], Statement of Work [SOW], and System Specification [SS]), explains the requirements generation flow, describes the analysis supporting requirements determination, provides examples of statements of objectives, presents an acquisition case study, and provides a sample SOW.

Electronic copy is available from http://www.dsp.dla.mil

The heart of this book is the Volere Requirements Process Model, a detailed guide. Several examples of requirements are provided.

EIA 632 came about because the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) determined in 1994 that MIL-STD-499B would not be released as a military standard. EIA's Committee on Systems Engineering (the "EIA G-47 Committee") agreed to undertake the task of "demilitarizing" 499B and releasing it as an industry standard. The intent was to revise the MIL (military) version in accordance with commercial practices in order to broaden the suitability of the standard for other government agencies and commercial industry. EIA632 provides a comprehensive, structured, disciplined approach for all life cycle phases. The systems engineering process is applied iteratively throughout the system life cycle. Key aspects of industry's initiatives are captured to better identify and integrate requirements and implement multi-disciplinary teamwork, including potential suppliers, early in establishing the requirements. Other key aspects include establishing clear measurements of system responsiveness, encouraging innovation in products and practices, and focusing on process control rather than inspection. Also, risk management is encouraged.