Writing Functional Specs (was Re: Tracking Money in Savings Account)

[Derek Atkins]

Daniel Trezub <daniel3ub at gmail.com> writes:

> Hi, Derek!
>
> Thanks for your explanation!
>
> As I've already asked other times, it would be great if we had some more
> information about the ways we, non-programers, can do all these things you
> stated.
>
> For example, I have no idea how a functional specification looks like, and I
> have no idea what a glade application is or how it works. I am a graphic
> designer, so I think I could help with something, but don't know how.

There is no rule for what it looks like; the format is fairly
open-ended.  What's more important is the content.  Generally it would
contain the "what", "where, and "why" of a feature.  What does this
feature do?  Where can the user access it?  Why is it necessary?  What
does it look like?  Where does the data need to get stored? Why does it
operate this way?  What happens if users don't supply everything you
need? etc.

Think about your writing classes: Who? What? Where? Why? When? How?
The FS talks about everything except the How?  (Except in this case the
Who? is irrelevant, and the When? probably doesn't apply).

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
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