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User Requirements Capture: Areas to Consider
This guidance is for those acting in the Requirements Manger role. It covers the areas to consider during the Capture task when defining user requirements.
Areas to consider during capture include:
- Operational Processes. Capture interaction requirements between users and the capability.
- Human Factors Integration. Capture interaction requirements between users and the capability.
- Safety, Environmental and Sustainable Development. Capture safety and environmental requirements / constraints.
- Security. Capture security requirements / constraints.
- Non-operational requirements and constraints. Capture other miscellaneous non-operational requirements and constraints.
Operational Processes
Capture operational ‘user requirements’ and ‘capability constraints’.
Capture the existing and proposed operational process. Do not look ‘inside’ the capability. Concentrate on the impact that the capability (as a single entity) must have on the ‘rest of the world’ and the constraints that the ‘rest of the world’ impose on the capability.
Develop process models of the capability to help to understand the interfaces, boundaries, inputs, information flows, resources and outputs. The models will help define the User Requirement Document (URD) high-level characteristics, Key User Requirements (KURs) and effectiveness envelopes.
Identify:
- What capabilities have a dependency on the capability, and vice-versa.
- The operational effects and benefits that the users need to gain from exercising the capability.
- Operational restrictions or limitations on the capability (e.g. legacy equipment implications).
- Constraints that stakeholders cannot avoid imposing on the solution (e.g. legislation, policy, timescale).
- Identify potential future changes with estimated timescales.
Sources of information include:
- The relevant Analytical or Applied Concept.
- Applicable Doctrine.
- Capability gap analysis.
- Supporting experimentation and Operational Analysis (OA) reports.
- Lessons learned from operations, mission rehearsal etc.
- Architectures or models.
- Domain experts.
- Joint Service Publications (JSPs).
- The Capability Planning Group (CPG) or Capability Working Group (CWG).
Methods of capture include:
- Interviews and questionnaires.
- Experimentation (operational trials).
- Systems analysis (soft and hard).
- Process and architecture modelling.
Interoperability for CIS provides further guidance on CIS Systems.
Human Factors Integration
Capture interaction requirements between users and the capability.
- Determine the human factors requirements relevant to the interactions between the users and the capability (not just the operators and the equipment).
- At least - to what extent must each interaction be human-to-human, to what extent can it be automated?
Human Factors Integration (HFI) provides further guidance.
Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development Constraints
Capture safety and environmental requirements / constraints.
These include:
- Mitigation of safety and environmental risks associated with methods of operation and support.
- Compliance with health and safety legislation and policy.
- Compliance with environmental policy.
- Threats to the safety of person, property and environment.
- The impact that the new capability might have on the safe exercising of interdependent capabilities, and vice-versa, including any operating or training restrictions in particular natural environments.
- Sustainable development.
- Preventative and corrective considerations.
Safety provides further guidance.
Security Constraints
Capture security requirements / constraints.
Specify:
- What level(s) of security the capability must operate at.
- What security services the capability must deliver, both preventative and corrective.
- Physical and information security.
Security - specifically JSP 440
- provides further guidance.
Non Operational Constraints
Capture other miscellaneous non-operational requirements and constraints.
The principle source will be policies such as:
- e-Government.
- Sustainable Development.
- Implementation of EC Directives.
- Other international agreements.
