[Year 12 SofDev] usability - NF requirement or constraint or both???
Robert Timmer-Arends
timmer at westnet.com.au
Mon Dec 7 17:47:21 AEDT 2015
Hello all
>>>As for Mark's question about "something that is not a requirement still
>>>could be in scope?"
A couple of perhaps silly examples:
FR: we need the (modified) software to calculate the blah blah
NFR: the calculation process has to involve minimal input from the
operator
Constraint: the calculation must take no longer than ...
Scope: we will only modify the software; user documentation will not be
included.
FR: we need an on-line purchasing system that can blah blah
NFR: it needs to cater for vision-impaired people
Constraint: it must allow for all major credit cards
Scope: we will only get it working in the Chrome browser
There is a lot of definitional slippage amongst these terms - rephrasing the
scope statements above could make them a constraint or a non-functional
requirement. Part of the difference, as someone has alluded to, is the
difference between 'it must/must not' and 'we will/will not'.
Whatever the distinctions, the point of the exercise is to have a clear idea
of what is going to be addressed by the solution and what is not, especially
between user and developer. One of the main reasons for project failure is
'scope creep'.
Regards
Robert T-A
----- Original Message -----
From: "Claudia Graham" <claudia.graham at overnewton.vic.edu.au>
To: "Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List"
<sofdev at edulists.com.au>
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2015 11:33 PM
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] usability - NF requirement or constraint or
both???
Hi Heath,
Be careful the new study no longer has ‘benefits’ within ’scope’
* Determining the scope of the solution. The scope states the boundaries
or parameters of the solution. It identifies the area of interest or what
aspects of the problem will and will not be addressed by the solution.
Was teaching it last week and had to reteach – had students that did Apps in
2015 and they kept talking about benefits.
Regards
Claudia
**********************************************************
Claudia Graham
VCE Coordinator
@ClaudiaG_Aus
9334 0049 (direct)
From:
<sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>> on
behalf of Heath Matheson
<Matheson.Heath.A at edumail.vic.gov.au<mailto:Matheson.Heath.A at edumail.vic.gov.au>>
Reply-To: Year List <sofdev at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev at edulists.com.au>>
Date: Sunday, 6 December 2015 11:07 pm
To: Year List <sofdev at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev at edulists.com.au>>
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] usability - NF requirement or constraint or
both???
I’m often asked by students: “ I feel constrained by your requirements so
does that make them constraints?” I tell them something like “You may feel
constrained, but a project can’t be constrained by what it has to do”. But I
too find it pretty murky.
I think that since useability is “making something useable” it is a
requirement. Constraints are either items you wish you had more of or laws
you must follow. So security would be a requirement to meet a legal
constraint.
I’ll just stick to my VCE IT motto and “don’t think too deep” which means I
can rephrase and answer Mark’s question with scope has “benefits to users”,
FR and NFR do not. :)
Heath Matheson
Mount Beauty
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>
[mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Esther Andrews
Sent: Sunday, 6 December 2015 1:34 PM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] usability - NF requirement or constraint or
both???
I am glad I am not the only one who is confused about the overlap in these
aspects.
When it comes to scope I ask the students to try to think of items that the
client might WISH for (or even expect) but are NOT included, so they are
like a list of Functional Requirements that will NOT be happening - probably
because of constraints. It is necessary to ovoid conflict later in the
project when the client says "Why didn't you do X/Y/Z ? I assumed it would
be done!"
A constraint is something that will prevent you from implementing all of the
things you would like to do. So I would say that usability could be a
constraint if it means that there are features that will have to be left out
of the Functional Requirements list because they are too complex for the
special needs of the user (ie there's no possible way to implement that
Feature so that it meets a NFR of usability).
As for Mark's question about "something that is not a requirement still
could be in scope?"
Nope. That's too much for me on a Sunday... !
Anyone else?
Esther Andrews | Admin Systems Developer, IT and Maths Teacher
Bendigo Senior Secondary College
Box 545 | BENDIGO | Victoria 3552 Australia
B +61 3 5443 1222 | F +61 3 5441 4548
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From:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>
<sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>> on
behalf of Mark <mark at vceit.com<mailto:mark at vceit.com>>
Sent: 06 December 2015 12:39
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] usability - NF requirement or constraint or
both???
Hi Katherine.
I can see 'usability' being listed as an NFR in the sense that: 'The
finished solution must be usable.'
It could also appear as a constraint on design choices for the same reason:
'The solution must be designed in a way that makes it very usable for the
end-user.'
Much of a muchness. There is some natural overlap in theory concepts.
For example, I still can't work out how scope is different to defining all
FR and NFR.
If you have defined ALL requirements, is the scope not also defined?
Anything that does not appear as a requirement must be - by definition - not
in scope.
Otherwise, listing things that are not in scope could go on til the crack of
doom.
e.g.
Solution: A toaster
In Scope:
- Scorch bread.
- Scorch muffins.
- Scorch crumpets.
Not in scope:
- Train elephants.
- Predict hurricanes.
- Solve crosswords.
- Blend mangoes.
- Pat the cat.
- Take the wife out dancing.
etc
Can anyone give an example of how something that is not a requirement still
could be in scope?
Regards
Mark
On 6 December 2015 at 08:59, Young, Katherine A
<young.katherine.a at edumail.vic.gov.au<mailto:young.katherine.a at edumail.vic.gov.au>>
wrote:
Hi all,
I’ve attached a graphic organizer that will hopefully get my kids thinking
more carefully during their analysis of a problem, need or opportunity. Do
others use something similar? I’d love to hear your feedback.
However, in doing so I realized that usability is listed as both a
non-functional requirement AND a constraint. My brain had been thinking that
a social constraint such the users’ level of expertise or some other
"audience characteristic" would impose a non-functional requirement in
relation to the usability of a solution.
Could someone please explain the difference between usability as a
constraint and as a NF requirement? I know that I WILL be asked the same
question :-/
Thank you!
Regards,
[cid:image001.jpg at 01D13075.E4756220]
Katherine Young
11C Mentor
Mathematics & Information Technology Teacher
Castlemaine Secondary College
Etty Street Campus
Etty Street
Castlemaine VIC 3450
T: (03) 5479 4222 | F: (03) 5479 4230
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