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Chapter 8 - Describing the Need - Specifications and Requirements

8.9 Building IT requirements

8.9.2 Functional requirements

Functional requirements document the business functionality for the IT product, service or solution that will meet the agency's needs. The procurement project's SMEs and business owner will provide the necessary documentation of the needed functionality. The functional requirement documentation is complete when the defined functional requirements of the business need have been fully described and all team members have agreed to the documentation.

Pre-solicitation planning time is the best time to validate the functional requirements. Incomplete functional requirements make it impossible to prepare accurate technical requirements documentation, invite misaligned supplier proposals and lead to extended project time and often failed implementation. Ensuring that comprehensive, complete and accurate functional requirements are included in the solicitation will increase the likelihood of a successful procurement. Functional requirements for an IT project include, but are not limited to:

  • Work flow or business processes,
  • Scope (what is included and what is not included),
  • Inputs, outputs (files, systems, programs, reports),
  • Databases
  • Interface requirements
  • Reporting requirements (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly hard or soft copy),
  • Work rules,
  • Performance standards and remedies for non-performance,
  • Documentation deliverables (methods, hard or soft copy).