SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENTATION

INTRODUCTION

Documentation can be tied into the entire software development cycle.

Unfortunately, documentation is often an afterthought.

This presentation defines 5 important software development documents.

OVERVIEW

The software development process should include the following documents:

1. Market Requirements Document (MRD)

2. Product Requirements Document (PRD)

3. Design Documents

4. Specifications

5. Test Cases

MARKET REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT (MRD)

The market requirements document is:

• Created by Marketing

• Explains what the marketplace is looking for

• Identifies important product features

PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT (PRD)

The product requirements document is:

• Created by Product Management

• Explains how the product will fulfill the Market Requirements Document (MRD)

• Lists and describes key product features

DESIGN DOCUMENTS

Design documents are:

• Created by Development

• Explain, often in substantial technical detail, how the product will be designed

• Indicates how the product design will fulfill the Product Requirements Document (PRD)

SPECIFICATIONS

Specification documents are:

• Created by Development

• Indicate precisely how the product should behave in certain conditions

• May apply to internal operations, external operations, and the user interface

• Serves as basis for test cases

TEST CASES

Test cases are:

• Created by Quality Assurance (QA)

• Verifies that the product fulfills the Product Requirements Document (PRD)

• Validates that the product conforms to specifications

• Serves as basis for end user documentation

END-USER DOCUMENTATION

End-user documentation:

• Is created by a technical writer

• Provides installation instructions

• Explains how to use the product