Differences Between Functional and Non-Functional Business Analyst Project
Functional and Non-functional requirements are two distinct types of requirements in a project, and they serve different purposes and functions. Here are the key differences between functional and non-functional project requirements:
Functional Requirements:
Purpose: Functional requirements define what a system/application/product is supposed to do. They describe specific functions, features, and interactions that the system must perform.
Measurability: Functional requirements are typically measurable and verifiable. You can test whether the system/application meets these requirements through functional testing.
Tangibility: They are often tangible and relate to visible and concrete aspects of the system/application/project, such as user interfaces, data processing, and system behavior.
Examples: An example of a functional requirements include user authentication, data entry forms, report generation, and specific calculations performed by the system/application.
Specificity: Functional requirements are usually highly specific, detailing precise actions and outcomes that the system/application should produce.
Subject to Change: As every software/application undergo enhancements overtime, functional requirements are subject to change “To be enhanced.” functional requirements tend to be less susceptible to change..
Non-Functional Requirements:
Purpose: Non-functional requirements define how a system should perform rather than what it should do. They focus on qualities, characteristics, and constraints of the system/application.
Measurability: Non-functional requirements are often difficult to measure precisely and may not have clear pass/fail criteria. They are more about meeting performance expectations.
Tangibility: They are intangible and pertain to qualities such as system/application reliability, scalability, security, and performance.
Examples: A non-functional requirements include response time expectations (e.g., system/application should respond within 2 seconds), security standards (e.g., compliance with specific security protocols), and availability requirements (e.g., system should be available 99.9% of the time).
General Guidelines: Non-functional requirements provide general guidelines for system/application behavior and performance rather than specific features or functions.
Subject to Change: A non-functional requirement is more subject to change as technology evolves or as the project progresses.
In conclusion: functional requirements focus on what the system should do in terms of specific features and functions. While non-functional requirements concentrate on how the system/application should perform in terms of qualities and constraints.
As an IT Business Analyst, both types of requirements are essential for a comprehensive understanding of a project’s scope and expectations, and they must be documented and managed throughout the project lifecycle.