structure of specifications

Here's a third category, quite a bit more various than 
the other two. (I'm looking into research in linguistics again, but 
that will take longer.)

 

Specification Structure
[Software first, there's 
much less extant specifically for hardware specs; I put that at the 
end.]

 

www.processimpact.com/process_assets/srs_template.doc

 

Software Requirements 
Specification
for
<Project>
Version 1.0 approved
Prepared by 
<author>
<organization>
<date 
created>
 
Table of Contents ii
Revision 
History ii
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Purpose 1
1.2 Document 
Conventions 1
1.3 Intended Audience and Reading 
Suggestions 1
1.4 Project 
Scope 1
1.5 References 1
2. Overall 
Description 2
2.1 Product Perspective 2
2.2 Product 
Features 2
2.3 User Classes and 
Characteristics 2
2.4 Operating 
Environment 2
2.5 Design and Implementation 
Constraints 2
2.6 User Documentation 2
2.7 Assumptions 
and Dependencies 3
3. System Features 3
3.1 System 
Feature 1 3
3.2 System Feature 2 (and so 
on) 4
4. External Interface Requirements 4
4.1 User 
Interfaces 4
4.2 Hardware Interfaces 4
4.3 Software 
Interfaces 4
4.4 Communications Interfaces 4
5. Other 
Nonfunctional Requirements 5
5.1 Performance 
Requirements 5
5.2 Safety Requirements 5
5.3 Security 
Requirements 5
5.4 Software Quality 
Attributes 5
6. Other Requirements 5
Appendix A: 
Glossary 5
Appendix B: Analysis Models 6
Appendix C: Issues 
List 6

 

http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/sdd.html

 

Wherever possible, I have tried to provide guidelines 
(instead of prescribing requirements) for the contents of various sections and 
subsections of the document. Some may prefer to require more detailed 
subsections of a particular section, choosing one or more of the subsection 
topics from the list of guidelines provided. In this sense, this document is 
really a template for a template.

 

In devising this template, I have gleaned information 
from many sources, including various texts on Software Engineering (Pressman, 
Sommerville, and Van Vliet), Object-Oriented Development (Booch, Rumbaugh, 
Berard, and Wirfs-Brock), various SEI reports, DoD-Std and Mil-Std documentation 
requirements (2167/2167A), and IEEE documentation standards (particularly 
IEEE-1016 for software designs, and IEEE-830 for software requirements). I have 
made every effort not to assume or impose a particular software development 
methodology or paradigm, and to place more emphasis on content than on 
format.

 

... many parts of the document may be extracted 
automatically from other sources and/or may be contained in other, smaller 
documents. ... [need not be] a single document

 

Introduction
System Overview
Design 
Considerations
Assumptions and Dependencies
General Constraints
Goals 
and Guidelines
Development Methods
Architectural Strategies
strategy-1 
name or description
strategy-2 name or description
...
System 
Architecture
component-1 name or description
component-2 name or 
description
...
Policies and Tactics
policy/tactic-1 name or 
description
policy/tactic-2 name or description
...
Detailed System 
Design
module-1 name or description
module-2 name or 
description
...
Glossary
Bibliography

 

The above outline is by no means exclusive. A 
particular numbering scheme is not necessarily required and you are more than 
welcome to add your own sections or subsections where you feel they are 
appropriate. In particular you may wish to move the bibliography and glossary to 
the beginning of the document instead of placing them at the 
end.

 

The same template is intended to be used for both 
high-level design and low-level design. The design document used for high-level 
design is a "living document" in that it gradually evolves to include low-level 
design details (although perhaps the "Detailed Design" section may not yet be 
appropriate at the high-level design phase).

 

http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/softwarerequirementspecs.html

 

Several standards
organizations (including the IEEE) 
have identified nine topics
that must be addressed when designing and writing 
an SRS:

 

Interfaces
Functional Capabilities
Performance 
Levels
Data 
Structures/Elements
Safety
Reliability
Security/Privacy
Quality
Constraints 
and Limitations

 

[Detailed examples and citations of Authoritative 
Sources.]

 

http://www.stcsig.org/mgt/docs/uncspectempl.pdf

 

Software Functional Specification 
Template

 

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000035.html
Example spec at:
    
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/WhatTimeIsIt.html

 

[More templates]
http://www.scribd.com/doc/507300/Software-Requirements-Specification-Template
http://www.techtransform.com/id46.htm
http://www.klariti.com/templates/Functional-Requirements-Specification-Template.shtml
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17803814/Technical-Specification-Template
http://www.volere.co.uk/template.htm
The Volere Requirements Specification Template 
has been downloaded in excess of 20,000 times. ... Note that academic use is 
excepted from the payment system. ... The template provides for each of the 
requirements types appropriate for today's business, scientific and software 
systems. 
[Probably also applies to hardware specs]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_specification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_specification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requirements_specification
This last cites the 
following:
    IEEE Software Document 
Definitions
    SQAP - Software Quality Assurance Plan IEEE 
730
    SCMP - Software Configuration Management Plan IEEE 
828
    STD - Software Test Documentation IEEE 
829
    SRS - Software Requirements Specification IEEE 
830
    SVVP - Software Validation & Verification Plan 
IEEE 1012
    SDD - Software Design Description IEEE 
1016
    SPMP - Software Project Management Plan IEEE 
1058
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_design_specification
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specification_(technical_standard)

 

________________________________________________

 

Hardware Specification 
Structure

 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb/views/document/sections/section8/8_4_7.htm

 

http://www.fmv.se/upload/Bilder%20och%20dokument/Upphandling/klsjo/METIS/Appendix%20A4%20Template%20for%20hardware%20specification.pdf