Protocol
Write the need before naming the implementation
A solution written too early can hide the requirement it was supposed to satisfy.
When it fits
- A requirement arrives already phrased as a feature, field, button, tool or technical solution and the underlying job is unclear.
When to avoid it
- Some implementation choices are genuine constraints because of standards, contracts, architecture or interoperability; label the source of that constraint.
Why it matters
Ask why the requested implementation is needed and write the desired capability or outcome separately. Keep hard constraints, but distinguish them from a proposed way to meet the need. Only then compare solution options.
Steps
- The requirement still makes sense if the first proposed implementation is replaced by another feasible approach.
An example
'Add an Excel export button' becomes 'Users need to reconcile selected records outside the system without manual re-entry'; export is then one candidate solution.
Check your result
The requirement still makes sense if the first proposed implementation is replaced by another feasible approach.
Keep this limit in mind
- Some implementation choices are genuine constraints because of standards, contracts, architecture or interoperability; label the source of that constraint.
Connected ideas
Use beforeGive each requirement one behavior to prove
Evidence and sources
NASA guidance recommends requirements that identify the responsible product or party and needed behavior, use consistent terminology, state what is needed rather than prescribing implementation, and include rationale and assumptions.
Some constraints legitimately specify implementation when mandated by architecture, regulation or compatibility.
Appendix C: How to Write a Good Requirement · Editorial checklist; general goodness checklist
GOV.UK user-story guidance recommends recording the actor, needed action and goal, focusing on why the need exists, and using acceptance criteria to state observable outcomes that show the job is done.
User-story syntax is one framing method and is not appropriate for every technical, regulatory or infrastructure requirement.
Writing user stories · What to include; Focus on the goal; Acceptance criteria