What does the System Specification address?

The following is a high level list of requirements that should be addressed in a System Specification:

• Define the functions of the system
• Define the Hardware / Software Functional Partitioning
• Define the Performance Specification
• Define the Hardware / Software Performance Partitioning
• Define Safety Requirements
• Define the User Interface (A good user’s manual is often an overlooked part of the System specification.)
• Provide Installation Drawings/Instructions.
• Provide Interface Control Drawings (ICD’s, External I/O)

System specification is used to define the full functionality of the system.

Partitions functions to the different disciplines (mechanical, electrical, software).

Specifies performance.

Note: for most systems software and the systems documents are combined.

· Most of the complexity is in the software.

· Very often, the software is called upon to meet the system requirement with the hardware you have.

· Very often, there is not a systems department to drive the project and the software engineers become the systems engineers.