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These are requirements you're working with. A requirement is just that - something that is required. It's something that the software must do. So the requirement should be written as an imperative - the software will or the software must.
For the purpose statement of the requirement, just put "The RCP will provide the user a mechanism for schlepping the pekele."
That says what functionality has to be built in but allows a lot of slop in deciding exactly how to implement it, just the way programmers want it.
When you write the specs for that requirement, there's where you can put in nitpicking about whether the pekele schlepping dialog box is modal, whether or not it has a cancel button, etc.
What the frabjapping bleep is a pekele?
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From: Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riveraintech -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Monday, April 9, 2012 7:26 AM
Subject: "Allow" vs. "Require"
I'm working with Development on a very large set of design requirements.
There are many requirements that describe the software ("RCP") either
allowing or requiring an action by the user. There was some question as
to whether "allow" would be understood as an optional action, as in:
"The RCP shall allow the user to schlep the pekele," i.e., the user may
choose to schlep the pekele but doesn't have to.
One suggestion was: "The RCP shall optionally allow the user to schlep
the pekele," or similarly, "The RCP shall allow the user to optionally
schlep the pekele." But I don't like either of those very much.
I'm looking for something just as concise but a little less awkward.
"The RCP shall allow the user the option of schlepping the pekele"
sounds a little better to me, but I hate to turn a robust infinitive
into a namby-pamby gerund.
Thoughts?
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