Ieee Recommended Practice For Software Requirements Speciþcations

IEEE Std 830-1998
(Revision of
IEEE Std 830-1993)

IEEE Recommended Practice for
Software Requirements
SpeciÞcations

Sponsor

Software Engineering Standards Committee
of the
IEEE Computer Society
Approved 25 June 1998

IEEE-SA Standards Board

Abstract: The content and qualities of a good software requirements specification (SRS) are described and several sample SRS outlines arepresented. This recommended practice is aimed at
specifying requirements of software to be developed but also can be applied to assist in the selection of in-house and commercial software products. Guidelines for compliance with IEEE/EIA
12207.1-1997 are also provided.
Keywords: contract, customer, prototyping, software requirements specification, supplier, system
requirements specificationsThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017-2394, USA
Copyright © 1998 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published 1998. Printed in the United States of America.
Print: 0-7381-0332-2
ISBN ISBN 0-7381-0332-2, SH94654
PDF: ISBN 0-7381-0448-5, SS94654
No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form, in an electronic retrieval system or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.

IEEE Standards documents are developed within the IEEE Societies and the Standards Coordinating Committees of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board. Members of the
committees serve voluntarily and without compensation. They are not necessarilymembers of the
Institute. The standards developed within IEEE represent a consensus of the broad expertise on the
subject within the Institute as well as those activities outside of IEEE that have expressed an interest in participating in the development of the standard.
Use of an IEEE Standard is wholly voluntary. The existence of an IEEE Standard does not imply
that there are no other ways toproduce, test, measure, purchase, market, or provide other goods and
services related to the scope of the IEEE Standard. Furthermore, the viewpoint expressed at the
time a standard is approved and issued is subject to change brought about through developments in
the state of the art and comments received from users of the standard. Every IEEE Standard is subjected to review at least every Þveyears for revision or reafÞrmation. When a document is more
than Þve years old and has not been reafÞrmed, it is reasonable to conclude that its contents,
although still of some value, do not wholly reßect the present state of the art. Users are cautioned to
check to determine that they have the latest edition of any IEEE Standard.
Comments for revision of IEEE Standards are welcome from anyinterested party, regardless of
membership afÞliation with IEEE. Suggestions for changes in documents should be in the form of a
proposed change of text, together with appropriate supporting comments.
Interpretations: Occasionally questions may arise regarding the meaning of portions of standards as
they relate to speciÞc applications. When the need for interpretations is brought to the attentionof
IEEE, the Institute will initiate action to prepare appropriate responses. Since IEEE Standards represent a consensus of all concerned interests, it is important to ensure that any interpretation has
also received the concurrence of a balance of interests. For this reason, IEEE and the members of its
societies and Standards Coordinating Committees are not able to provide an instant responseto
interpretation requests except in those cases where the matter has previously received formal
consideration.
Comments on standards and requests for interpretations should be addressed to:
Secretary, IEEE-SA Standards Board
445 Hoes Lane
P.O. Box 1331
Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331
USA

Note: Attention is called to the possibility that implementation of this standard may
require use of...