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Managing Non-Functional Requirements in Agile Projects
Here are some tips for getting NFRs sorted out in an Agile project.
The Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide v3) (p. 16) denominates Non-functional requirements (NFRs) also as quality of service requirements, which, although it is not directly associated with the functionality of the solution, define the circumstances in which the solution must remain effective or the quality it must have. Ensuring that your solution is of good quality and performs well is essential when working on Agile projects, and NFRs are crucial in achieving this goal. Although NFRs are not directly related to how a piece of software works, they are still essential to determine how effective, efficient, reliable, usable, adaptable, maintainable, and secure the software is. Usually, it’s up to the Business Analyst to write down and manage all the NFRs. This helps everyone on the Agile team understand what they’re supposed to be doing. Here are some tips for getting NFRs sorted out in an Agile project:
Use the Non-Functional Requirements Analysis technique to figure out what constraints you’re working with and how you’ll measure success
BABOK® Guide v3 (p. 304) lists Non-Functional Requirements Analysis as one of the most widespread techniques practised within Business Analysis. This technique helps Business Analysts to identify constraints and provide performance measures for Non-Functional Requirements. It includes:
- Specify non-functional requirements categories to classify quality characteristics that should be tested.
- Determine an appropriate measurement of success for non-functional requirements.
- Assess the organisational context for the non-functional requirements such as compliance, security, localisation or maintainability to manage risk and optimise performance.
