Business analysis glossary
Requirement
What it is
A requirement is a statement of a need that a solution must meet. It should be clear, necessary, testable and understandable to both business and technical readers. Requirements range from high-level business goals to detailed system behaviour. Typical qualities are that it is unambiguous, consistent with the others, feasible and traceable to a business need.
Why it matters
Requirements are the shared agreement for what will be built and tested. Unclear ones cause rework, arguments about what was promised and defects that are really misunderstandings. Good requirements also make estimates more reliable, because developers can see exactly what is wanted instead of guessing.
Example
"The system should be fast" is not testable. "The order summary page shall display within three seconds for ninety percent of requests during the busiest hour" is a requirement a tester at Marlow Online Store can actually check. The second version contains a measurable target, a condition and a time period, so a tester can say pass or fail without arguing.