What do you understand by requirement? Can you differentiate between requirements and needs?

Requirement is a user defined set of documents which states all the points which a user would need for the development of an application. It is considered as a need of the user to give out the solution. It is something that is important or mandatory and essential for the system to perform its functions. It varies in its content and kinds. Requirements can be of different types. It can be functional or non-functional. It can be divided into different categories on the basis of user as below

1. Business Requirements – These describes the goals, objectives and needs of the enterprise. It describes and defines the need of the entire organization. Without these requirements, no solution can be formulated. These are in detail and covers the whole aspect and need of the client.
2. Stakeholder requirements – These requirements cover the need of a particular stakeholder in the organization or even the group of stakeholders sharing common needs. It describes the needs that stakeholder would interact with the system. It acts as a intermediary between business requirements and solution requirements.
3. Solution requirements – These requirements define and describes the solution which will help to meet the business requirements and stakeholder requirements. They are broadly divided into –
   1. Functional requirements – These requirements describe the functional nature of the requirement. They are system-oriented requirements. They help in performing operations and their actions help to run an application. Eg- For Login to an application needs functional requirements as creation of Login ID and password screen.
   2. Non-functional requirements – These requirements are non-functional in nature. They are not system oriented, but they have impact on the function of a requirement and application. They are not directly involved in the running of an application, but functional requirements are dependent on non-functional requirements for their performance. They are related to speed, capacity, security and describes the environmental conditions in which a solution can remain active and effective. Eg – Internet availability 24*7
4. Transition requirements – These requirements state the solutions that will facilitate transition from current stage of the project to the future state. These are temporary in nature and cannot be developed until the existing and new solutions are defined. They cover all the skill gaps and related changes to go from current state to the desired future state.

Difference between a Need and a Requirement –

A need is goal or objectives which a company needs to achieve. Needs are necessities or essentials for achievement. They are necessary for the survival of the organization or institution. Needs are broad in nature. Needs may not change frequently. It is independent of requirement. They are influenced by the thoughts of the people or organization. It has a large scope and consist of all the requirements.

Requirements are necessary things without which you cannot accomplish or satisfy your needs. Requirement are all the necessary things that are required to fulfil the needs. Requirements may be specific or non-specific. Requirements may change time to time depending upon need. It is dependent on needs. They are influenced by the needs. They have limited scope since they are dependent on needs.