Specification Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

For example, a design specification might include the dimensions of a bottle cap. If the project is completed on time to specification the contractor will realize a reasonable profit. Xu asked if Hua could send material relating to the specifications and design process for building an encasement for fan blades. Web services specifications are often under the umbrella of a quality management system. The United States’ Federal Acquisition Regulation governing procurement for the federal government and its agencies stipulates that a copy of the drawings and specifications must be kept available on a construction site. A functional specification is a kind of requirement specification, and may show functional block diagrams.

Such an approach facilitates budget planning and project planning over time. A requirement is something that’s needed to be done, and a specification is an exact description of how to do it, or in other words – it’s extensive https://globalcloudteam.com/ information about the requirements. A specification includes many factors that a given requirement must address in order to be met. Unless you actually take feedback from the customers, you cannot formulate good user stories.

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The launch of a project doesn’t always depend on the implementation of the entire range of its specification. The MVP version is by definition a stripped-down content of the full project, which brings value to the clients after the launch. The conclusions from a working MVP version often affect the corrections or changes in a specification, allowing the scope to be adjusted to the updated expectations and needs. User personas which tell about the typical audience behavior based on audience research are also included. Major technical specifications to be covered and obstacles to be overcome are also a part of the document.

Although they are separate from design drawings themselves, specs should be complementary to these documents and prepared in tandem. So, if the design advances, so should the specifications, with more and more details being added as plans get more complex. Commercial off-the-shelf products have spec sheets that contain the major functions and features of each item in a product line. This enables a consumer, whether personal or business, to research the best fit for their requirements. You need requirements even if you are purchasing a COTS product. Answering the question about the difference between a requirement and a specification first requires a shared understanding of the terminology for different deliverables in the requirement development process.

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Like a blueprint, a product spec contains key information (e.g., target users, business needs, goals, and other essential details) to help guide the product team in building a successful product. Construction specifications, although time-consuming and sometimes part of a tedious process, are a necessary step in a successful project. If you’re a designer or architect, spend the time to get these documents right so your vision for the project is executed correctly. If you’re an owner or contractor, ensure you have all the information you and your team needs to carry out the details of your project on time and budget. And just remember, being overly specific never hurt anyone in a construction process. You will look at the specs for different refrigerators that can fit into your available space, have the features that are important to you, and are within your price range.

• Design requires knowledge and integration of disciplines in most cases.
• The launch of a project doesn’t always depend on the implementation of the entire range of its specification.
• This in turn makes people take up the responsibility of making the end result good.
• We have developed a template specification language that allows the definition of spreadsheet templates that describe possible spreadsheet evolutions.
• A specification is a specific description of a particular subject.

A specification is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. Should a material, product, or service fail to meet one or more of the applicable specifications, it may be referred to as being out of specification; the abbreviation OOS may also be used. In casual usage, underspec or overspec are used when something is worse or better than specified, though in general there is only a notion of «in spec» or «out of spec», not «better» or «worse». A technical specification may be developed by any of various kinds of organizations, both public and private.

How do I understand the specs?

First, it allows businesses to understand customer needs and develop products or services that meet those needs. Additionally, specification can help businesses manage costs and ensure quality control by identifying the materials and processes required to produce a product or deliver a service. Finally, specification can streamline communication between businesses and their suppliers, helping to ensure that all parties are clear on what is required. The documentation typically describes various inputs that can be provided to the software system and how the system responds to those inputs.

Specifications are an integral part of Building Information Modeling and cover the non-geometric requirements.

Architectural specification

A document describing what a system should do, what a problem is, or what a domain is all about. The set of requirements that must be satisfied in order for any model to comply with the current standards of UML. In formal what is specification methods this document is written using a formal language. It is also important to be as specific as possible when writing a specification. This will help to ensure that there is no ambiguity about what is required.

It should also be achievable, meaning it is realistic for the supplier to meet. This can sometimes be a challenge, as the customer may not have a good understanding of what is possible or what it will take to meet their needs. In other cases, the customer may have very specific and unrealistic demands. Conformance specifications define requirements that determine whether a product or packaging complies with certain standards.

Requirement vs specification

In general, specification contains the formulated solutions and detailed requirements, how and with what a product is developed. Important structuring points such as product use, target definition or product overview are also recorded in the specification. When writing a specification, it is important to keep in mind who will be using the document.

As mentioned, construction specifications are prepared before construction begins, in the design phase as part of the contract documents. Although their structure varies project-by-project, typically they reflect packages to be given to subcontractors from contractors. Specifically, this is extremely helpful in the tender process. To improve your construction specifications, and in turn, the success rate of your project, it starts with a firm understanding of what these documents are and how they are prepared. Below, we’ll discuss what specifications are in construction, why they’re important, what are the common types on projects and how to improve the process to increase overall project efficiency.

Why Defining Requirements and Specifications is Important

You’d find info on how the product development would benefit the company in the market. Information about the budget and as well as various resources that are needed to develop the product are mentioned in this section. Specifications are not the same as system requirements, which describe the type of hardware required for a software program to work on a computer. See our system requirements page for further information about this term. The project specification was simple to read, respond and deliver. If there are unclear parts of the specification, make yourself available to answer questions and provide clarification as needed.