¶ … SRS'
One of the difficulties in using the same acronym to refer to two different and distinctive things or concepts, like 'SRS,' is that category confusion and elision between the two ideas is the frequent, inevitable result. Software Requirements Specifications refers to the actual requirements regarding quality of the software program itself. Is the design of the program safe, for example, and is the prototype free from impingements from outside? Does the model run smoothly? In contrast, Systems Requirements Specifications refer to the requirements of the actual system the software is attempting to fulfill. "An SRS" of Software Requirements Specifications "is basically an organization's understanding (in writing) of a customer or potential client's system requirements and dependencies at a particular point in time (usually) prior to any actual design or development work," regarding the actual system, acting as "a two-way insurance policy that assures that both the client and the organization understand the other's requirements from that perspective at a given point in time. (Le Vie, 2004)
Several standards organizations (including the IEEE) have identified nine topics that must be addressed when designing and writing an SRS or Software Requirements Specifications including: interfaces, functional capabilities, performance levels, data Structures and elements, safety, reliability, security vs. privacy, overall quality, and finally, constraints and limitations. (Le Vie, 2004)
Thus, while SRS, or Software Requirements Specifications, might be the main concern of software developers at the beginning of a project, SRS in the sense of Systems Requirements Specifications would be the main concerns of managers and non-technical staff during the planning stages and then, during the later implementation phrase -- does the application do what it is designed to do, what the company asked for, and what the company needs? A software program might run beautifully and be error-free, but if it does not configure its templates, for example, in such a way to increase typing speed and work pace of employees, in a manager's eyes its Systems Requirements Specifications have failed, although its Software Requirements Specifications may be unblemished.
Work Cited
Le Vie, Donn J. (2004) "Writing Software Requirements Specifications." Tech Whirl.
Retrieved 11 Feb 2005 at http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/softwarerequirementspecs.html
