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Functional Requirements

Functional Requirements Specification (FRS): {{PROJECT_NAME}}

Project: {{PROJECT_NAME}} Version: {{VERSION}} Date: {{DATE}} Author: {{AUTHOR}} Status: Draft | In Review | Approved Reviewers: {{REVIEWERS}}

Document History

Version Date Author Changes
0.1 {{DATE}} {{AUTHOR}} Initial draft

1. System Overview

System Name: {{SYSTEM_NAME}} System Purpose: {{PURPOSE_2_3_SENTENCES}}

System Context Diagram:

graph TB
    subgraph "{{SYSTEM_NAME}}"
        UI[Web / Mobile UI]
        API[Backend API]
        DB[(Database)]
    end
    U1[{{USER_TYPE_1}}] -->|Uses| UI
    U2[{{USER_TYPE_2}}] -->|Uses| UI
    API -->|Reads/Writes| DB
    API -->|Integrates| EXT1[{{EXTERNAL_SERVICE_1}}]
    API -->|Integrates| EXT2[{{EXTERNAL_SERVICE_2}}]
    ADM[Admin] -->|Manages| UI

2. Actors & Personas

Actor ID Actor Name Type Description Access Level
ACT-01 {{ACTOR_NAME}} Human / System {{DESCRIPTION}} {{ROLE/PERMISSIONS}}
ACT-02 End User Human {{PERSONA_DESCRIPTION}} Authenticated user
ACT-03 Administrator Human Manages system configuration and users Admin
ACT-04 {{EXTERNAL_SYSTEM}} System External service integrated via API System

Persona Detail

Persona: {{PERSONA_NAME}}

  • Role: {{JOB_TITLE}}
  • Goal: {{PRIMARY_GOAL_USING_SYSTEM}}
  • Pain Points: {{CURRENT_FRUSTRATIONS}}
  • Tech Savviness: Low / Medium / High
  • Frequency of Use: Daily / Weekly / Monthly

3. Functional Requirements

3.1 Module: {{MODULE_1_NAME}}

Module Overview

{{MODULE_DESCRIPTION}}

FR-001: {{FEATURE_NAME}}

Attribute Value
Module {{MODULE_1_NAME}}
Priority Must Have
Trace BR-{{XXX}}
UI Reference [Figma link or mockup filename]

Description: {{FEATURE_DESCRIPTION_IN_BUSINESS_LANGUAGE}}

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}
  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}
  • Given invalid input, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{ERROR_HANDLING}}

Data Requirements:

  • Input: {{INPUT_DATA_FIELDS_AND_TYPES}}
  • Output: {{OUTPUT_DATA}}
  • Validation: {{VALIDATION_RULES}}

Business Rules:

  • RUL-{{XX}}: {{APPLICABLE_BUSINESS_RULE}}

Dependencies: FR-{{XXX}}, DEP-{{XX}}

FR-002: {{FEATURE_NAME}}

Attribute Value
Module {{MODULE_1_NAME}}
Priority Must Have
Trace BR-{{XXX}}
UI Reference

Description: {{FEATURE_DESCRIPTION}}

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}
  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}

Data Requirements:

  • Input: {{INPUT}}
  • Output: {{OUTPUT}}
  • Validation: {{VALIDATION}}

Business Rules: {{APPLICABLE_RULES}}

Dependencies: {{DEPENDENCIES}}

3.2 Module: {{MODULE_2_NAME}}

Module Overview

{{MODULE_DESCRIPTION}}

FR-010: {{FEATURE_NAME}}

Attribute Value
Module {{MODULE_2_NAME}}
Priority Must Have
Trace BR-{{XXX}}
UI Reference

Description: {{FEATURE_DESCRIPTION}}

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}
  • Given {{PRECONDITION}}, when {{USER_ACTION}}, then {{EXPECTED_RESULT}}

Data Requirements:

  • Input: {{INPUT}}
  • Output: {{OUTPUT}}
  • Validation: {{VALIDATION}}

Business Rules: {{APPLICABLE_RULES}}

Dependencies: {{DEPENDENCIES}}

3.3 Module: Authentication & Authorization

FR-020: User Registration

Attribute Value
Priority Must Have
Trace BR-{{XXX}}

Description: Users can create a new account using email and password.

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Given a valid email and password (≥8 chars, 1 uppercase, 1 number), when user submits registration form, then account is created and confirmation email is sent
  • Given an already-registered email, when user tries to register, then system shows "Email already in use" error
  • Given password does not meet complexity rules, when user submits, then inline validation error shown before submit

Data Requirements:

  • Input: email (unique), password, {{ADDITIONAL_FIELDS}}
  • Output: user record, confirmation token
  • Validation: email format, password complexity, duplicate check

FR-021: User Login

Attribute Value
Priority Must Have
Trace BR-{{XXX}}

Description: Authenticated users can log in with email and password.

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Given valid credentials, when user submits login form, then user is authenticated and redirected to dashboard
  • Given invalid credentials, when user submits, then generic error "Invalid email or password" is shown (no enumeration)
  • Given 5 consecutive failed attempts, when user tries again, then account is temporarily locked for 15 minutes
  • Given an authenticated session, when user is idle for 30 minutes, then session expires and user is redirected to login

3.4 Module: {{MODULE_N_NAME}}

FR-030: {{FEATURE_NAME}}

4. Use Case Diagrams

4.1 {{MODULE_1_NAME}} Use Cases

graph LR
    A1(({{ACTOR_1}})) --> UC1[FR-001: {{FEATURE}}]
    A1 --> UC2[FR-002: {{FEATURE}}]
    A2(({{ACTOR_2}})) --> UC3[FR-010: {{FEATURE}}]
    A2 --> UC4[FR-011: {{FEATURE}}]
    A3((Admin)) --> UC5[FR-020: {{FEATURE}}]
    A3 --> UC6[FR-021: {{FEATURE}}]

4.2 System-Level Use Case Overview

graph LR
    subgraph "{{SYSTEM_NAME}}"
        UC1[{{MODULE_1}} Functions]
        UC2[{{MODULE_2}} Functions]
        UC3[Auth Functions]
    end
    ACT1(({{ACTOR_1}})) --> UC1
    ACT1 --> UC3
    ACT2(({{ACTOR_2}})) --> UC2
    ACT2 --> UC3
    ACT3((Admin)) --> UC1
    ACT3 --> UC2
    ACT3 --> UC3

5. System Behavior Specifications

5.1 Error Handling

  • All user-facing errors must display a human-readable message (no stack traces)
  • All errors must be logged with correlation ID, timestamp, user ID (if authenticated), and action
  • Validation errors shown inline, adjacent to the invalid field
  • System errors show generic message + contact info; full detail logged server-side only

5.2 Data Persistence

  • All user-submitted data must be persisted within {{X}} seconds
  • Optimistic UI updates must be rolled back if server confirmation fails
  • All mutations (create/update/delete) must be audited with user ID and timestamp

5.3 Session & State

  • Session timeout: {{X}} minutes of inactivity
  • Concurrent session behavior: {{ALLOW/BLOCK/NOTIFY}}
  • Browser refresh: application state must be restored from server

5.4 Notifications

  • Email notifications: {{WHICH_EVENTS_TRIGGER_EMAILS}}
  • In-app notifications: {{WHICH_EVENTS_TRIGGER_IN_APP}}
  • Push notifications: {{IF_APPLICABLE}}
  • Unsubscribe mechanism required for all marketing emails (GDPR)

5.5 Accessibility

  • WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance required
  • Keyboard navigation for all interactive elements
  • Screen reader compatibility (ARIA labels)
  • Color contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1

6. Requirements Summary Table

ID Feature Name Module Priority Status Trace
FR-001 {{FEATURE}} {{MODULE}} Must Have Draft BR-001
FR-002
FR-010
FR-020 User Registration Auth Must Have Draft BR-xxx
FR-021 User Login Auth Must Have Draft BR-xxx

Requirements Count:

  • Must Have: {{COUNT}}
  • Should Have: {{COUNT}}
  • Could Have: {{COUNT}}
  • Won't Have (this release): {{COUNT}}

7. Traceability to Business Requirements

FR ID Feature Name Business Requirement (BR ID) Business Objective (BO ID)
FR-001 {{FEATURE}} BR-{{XXX}} BO-{{XX}}
FR-002

Full traceability matrix: [requirements-traceability-matrix.md](requirements-traceability-matrix.md)

Approval

Role Name Date Signature
Author
Reviewer
Business Analyst
Tech Lead
Product Owner
AI Director (John)
Client Representative

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