<div dir="ltr">OK... we seem to be here for the full <b>half-hour</b> argument. (Cracks knuckles).<div><br></div><div>Let's leave the rarefied atmosphere of VCE IT and set foot in <i>The Real World</i> to see what an SRS contains.</div><div><br></div><div>Again: Facts. Not opinions.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.fdot.gov/it/PDM/3_Requirements/Software_Requirement_Specification_Template.docx" target="_blank">http://www.fdot.gov/it/PDM/3_<wbr>Requirements/Software_<wbr>Requirement_Specification_<wbr>Template.docx</a><br></div><div>No, can't see any references to documenting existing systems or practices there...<br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.slideshare.net/iamtheuser/srs-software-requirement-specification-template" target="_blank">https://www.slideshare.net/<wbr>iamtheuser/srs-software-<wbr>requirement-specification-<wbr>template</a><br></div><div>There is no "Description of existing system" in that template.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://techwhirl.com/writing-software-requirements-specifications/" target="_blank">https://techwhirl.com/writing-<wbr>software-requirements-<wbr>specifications/</a><br></div><div><i>(BTW - this is a good SRS summary - you might want to read it!)</i></div><div>It says, "<span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:helvetica,sans-serif">Several standards organizations (including the IEEE) have identified nine topics that must be addressed when designing and writing an SRS:</span><br></div><ol style="margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 15px;outline:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Interfaces</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Functional Capabilities</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Performance Levels</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Data Structures/Elements</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Safety</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Reliability</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Security/Privacy</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Quality</li><li style="margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;outline:0px">Constraints and Limitations"</li></ol><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif">There is no mention of a description of the old/existing system...</font></div><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif">And, finally, the grand-daddy IEEE SRS template... </font><a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/720574/" target="_blank">ieeexplore.ieee.<wbr>org/document/720574/</a></div>No. I can't find <b>any</b> section that involves describing the old/existing system.<div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif">So.</font></div><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font color="#111111" face="helvetica, sans-serif">Here's a fun challenge for those of you who believe an SRS should document the old system: <br></font><i><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:helvetica,sans-serif">Find any real, reputable SRS that includes any diagrams or other descriptions of the </span><b style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:helvetica,sans-serif">old</b></i><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:helvetica,sans-serif"><i> system</i>.</span></div><div><br></div><div>I'll wait over here.</div><div><br></div><div>Regards,</div><div>Mark</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 20 March 2017 at 12:49, Adrian Janson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:janson.adrian.a@gmail.com" target="_blank">janson.adrian.a@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Me too!! (sorry Mark - that was for you!)<div><br></div><div>OK - my 2c worth.</div><div><br></div><div>By definition an SRS is a tool that is used to lay out the specifications that will be required to be addressed by a new system. It is not a design tool and is the result of analysis that is done to determine the needs of the organisation in regards to their information system. I feel like everyone agrees on this point - so it's probably not necessary to harp on it too much more.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the investigation of the existing system - network diagram, UCD, DFDs and other tools that might be used - are all necessary to get a feel for what the existing system does and doesn't do. While I understand where Mark is coming from with his analogy, I feel that coming into an organisation as a contracted IT professional and being handed an SRS and being told to get to work is not realistic. You need to have an understanding of what is in existence.</div><div><br></div><div>What elements of the existing information system will be kept and integrated with the new system?</div><div>How will the implementation of the new system impact on what is already in place?</div><div><br></div><div>Without that understanding (yes - looking back to look forward), I don't see how you can possibly begin designing a new system. Many of us have done LMS changeovers or large scale implementations and have been on staff for years prior - and even in this case, it would be a brave person who would design a new system without strongly documenting the existing system first.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Adrian Janson</div></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div> <span style="color:rgb(80,0,80)"><huge snip></span></div></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><i><br></i></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Mark Kelly</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="mailto:mark@vceit.com" style="font-size:12.8px" target="_blank">mark@vceit.com</a><br></div><div><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a></div><div><br></div><div>Powered by <b>Mitochondria.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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