4.5 System Infrastructure Requirements (SIR)

---

The SIR document specifies the exact infrastructure requirements needed to support the final product. Infrastructure requirements refer to the physical features of the hardware and software environment, as well as the physical surroundings these environments exist in. An example would be the addition of a piece of hardware requiring a SCSI cable in a non-SCSI environment. The infrastructure requirement might be to simply adapt the non-SCSI environment to accommodate new SCSI devices. It may also be something less technical, such as having an electrical outlet converted from 110V to 220V.

In general, every input and output adapter of every device within the physical environment should be reviewed to ensure compatibility or upgraded to meet the requirements of the new system. Most importantly, this document should be reviewed by the local IT or MIS representative (who should be a Core Team member) to catch any unrealistic assumptions or misconceptions early. What follows is a recommended table of contents for any of the various requirements documents generated. The particulars of each section may change, but the general format remains the same. Note also that this document is distinctly different from the format of the User Requirements Document (URD) covered previously.

Requirements Document Table of Contents (recommended)

Document Management Issues

Revision History

Introduction

Purpose of This Document

Intended Audience

Inputs to This Document

Outputs from This Document

Distribution List

Executive Overview

Vision Statement

Fundamental Problem to Be Solved

Product Summary

Financial Summary

Schedule

Beta Release Date

Software Production Release Date

Background

User’s Current Mode of Operation

Business Case

Related/Dependent Projects

System Requirements

General

Key Features

Environment

Ease of Use

Performance

Quality

Compatibility/Migration

Service and Support

Standards/ISO Compliance

Product Integration

Software

Minimum Software Configuration

Hardware

Minimum Hardware Configuration

Architecture

Security

Internationalization

Y2K (Year 2000) Support

Financial

Benefits/Savings

Project Budget

Productization

Publications

Packaging

Additional Components

Product Integration

Service and Support

Competitive Offerings

Pricing/Licensing

Appendix A

Standard Definitions for Development Activities

As you can see, the purpose of such precise documentation is to cover as much detail as needed to explain who needs it, when they need it, why they need it, what it will do when they get it, how it benefits the organization or team, and what it requires in terms of time, cost, and materials.

---