Statement of Requirements (SoR)
What is a Statement of Requirements (SoR)?
A Statement of Requirements (SoR) is a document that defines and specifies the needs, expectations, and objectives of a project, and outlines the requirements that must be met in order to achieve those objectives. The purpose of an SoR is to provide a clear, concise, and agreed-upon set of requirements that serves as a foundation for the design, development, and delivery of a product, service, or solution.
The role of an SoR is to define the scope, boundaries, and constraints of a project, and to establish a shared understanding of what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and why it needs to be done. An SoR also helps to align the expectations and interests of different stakeholders, and to identify and prioritize the requirements that are most important to the success of the project.
The components of an SoR typically include:
- Introduction: A brief overview of the purpose and context of the SoR.
- Business objectives: A description of the business goals and outcomes that the project is intended to achieve.
- Stakeholder requirements: A list of the needs, expectations, and requirements of the stakeholders who will be impacted by the project.
- Functional requirements: A detailed specification of the functions and capabilities that the project must deliver.
- Non-functional requirements: A specification of the constraints and characteristics that the project must meet, such as performance, security, usability, and maintainability.
- Constraints: A description of any limitations or constraints that will affect the project, such as budget, timeline, resources, or regulatory requirements.
- Assumptions: A list of assumptions or conditions that are being made in the development of the SoR.
- Glossary: A list of terms and definitions that are used in the SoR.
The importance of an SoR lies in its ability to provide a clear and consistent basis for the planning, execution, and evaluation of a project. An SoR helps to ensure that the project stays on track, delivers value, and meets the needs and expectations of the stakeholders.
Here are some examples of how an SoR might be used:
- A software development project: An SoR might specify the functional and non-functional requirements for a new software application, such as user interface design, database schema, security measures, and performance benchmarks.
- A construction project: An SoR might specify the design and engineering requirements for a building, such as structural integrity, energy efficiency, and materials specifications.
- A procurement project: An SoR might specify the requirements for a procurement process, such as vendor selection criteria, delivery schedules, and payment terms.
A statement of requirements serves as a legal agreement to provide tangible or intangible goods and services of the appropriate quality on schedule. In serving this purpose, the SOR dictates when and how the contract worker gets paid for reaching each milestone in the project schedule. Statement of requirements (SOR) provides a map of each project as requested and agreed upon by the client, and any other stakeholders involved. Once written, signed, and accepted by all parties, the statement of requirements delineates all of the milestones between beginning the project and delivering all of the modules of each stage of the endeavor. In some jurisdictions, the SOR must contain clear language readable by someone with no more than an eighth-grade education, or it may not have any validity. Thereby, the SOR protects you from litigation due to not being able to fulfill your obligations to your client and any applicable regulatory bodies.[1]
See Also
- Project Life Cycle
- Project Charter
- Service Level Requirements (SLR)
- Contract
- Define Business Strategy
- Definition of IT Strategy
- Define e-Business Strategy
- Define Corporate Governance of Information Technology
- Define enterprise architecture
- What is IT Sourcing?
- Define IT Operations
- CIO