Writing Project Technical Specifications

Writing Project Technical Specifications

OBJECTIVES

• Describe the role and purpose of specifications
• identify a framework for organizing and producing specifications
• Describe key steps involved in creating effective specifications
• Explain methods used in defining requirements
• List tools and techniques for scoping and structuring specifications
• Identify methods to write and edit specifications
• Describe the methods to use systems requirements to prepare system specifications, drawings and master plans
• Identify differences between functional and design specifications

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• General Managers
• Project managers, Project engineers
• Purchasing, sourcing and supply management professionals
• Sales contracting professionals
• Contract lawyers and attorneys
• Contra ct management professionals
• End-users who impact, or are impacted by, the contracting process
• Finance professionals involved in contracting
• Operational managers
• Commercial relationship managers

COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction to Specification Writing

• What are specifications?
• Purpose of Specifications
• Types of Specifications
• Functional Specifications
• Design Specifications
• Technical Specifications
• The Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Contents and layout for a specification
• Specifications as written requirement
• Classifying specified requirements as functional or designs
• Functional versus design oriented specifications

Organization of Specifications

• Audience analysis
• Specification language
• Syntax
• Styles
• Drawings, Forms and Standards in the Specifications
• Codes
• Units of measurement
• Methods of specifying

• • Descriptive
  • Performance
  • Reference Standard
  • Proprietary
  • Tools and techniques for structuring specifications

Requirements Specification Writing

• Requirements development
• What are requirements?
• Requirements analysis methodology
• Specifications vs. requirements
• Development of requirements
• Stakeholders and their needs
• Needs assessment
• Needs that are vague
• Types of requirements
• The quality of requirements
• Requirements for the system and sub-systems
• Elicitation techniques
• Requirements related to technical solutions
• Requirements vs. constraints

Management of the Requirements 

• Techniques used to capture, and validate key requirements and constraints
• Requirements validation and verification
• How to examine, analyze, demonstrate or test requirements
• Review of requirements quality
• Scoping and defining requirements
• Errors in the requirements and the specifications
• Scoping techniques
• Clarifying priorities
• Quantifying difficult requirements

Specifications Writing Process

• Processes and challenges involved
• Approval and authorization
• Specification and the statement of work (SOWs)
• Structuring a statement of work
• Structuring a system requirements specification
• Specifications and contract documents
• Contracting requirements and agreement
• Supplementary conditions of the contract
• Bonds and certificate
• Organization of specifications
• Technical baselines

Creating Effective Procedures for Writing and Controlling Specifications

• Roles and responsibilities of the key players
• Scope of the specification
• Statement of Requirements
• Design and performance criteria
• Functional characteristics
• Performance characteristics
• Technical characteristics
• Reporting requirements
• Standards
• Acceptance testing
• Trade-ins
• List drawings and other guidance provided
• Details of access, ground conditions and preparation
• How to avoid unnecessary details

Challenges in Writing the Specifications

• Challenges of written communication
• Identifying and understanding the stakeholder’s needs
• Choosing and using the right words
• How to deal with jargon and unnecessary information
• Problem words
• Using sentence structure and punctuation
• Impact of style, format and appearance
• Ensuring a clear understanding of what is required
• Identify the possible risks associated
• How to write specifications

Specifications Writing Techniques

• Develop the objectives of specification writing
• Data requirements in Specifications
• Descriptive specifications
• Performance specifications
• Reference standard
• Scoping and defining needs
• Assessing the audience
• Writing Technically
• Methods of specifications writing development
• A common framework for producing timely, error-free specifications

Technical Writing Challenges

• Specification organization
• Writing style and considerations
• Grammar and sentence structure
• Formatting and punctuation
• Design specifications and requirements
• Specification writing process
• Clear, easy to understand specifications
• Selecting a method of specifying
• Guide to writing Specifications
• Specification language
• Sentence structure
• Words to avoid
• Avoiding common causes of ambiguity
• Being concise and ensuring clarity
• Exercises and examples

Wording of Specifications

• Specification language
• Vague and ambiguous text
• Concepts of clear, correct, complete, and concise specification
• Imperative Mood
• Streamlined Writing
• Words to avoid
• Writing style
• Usage of words and phrases
• Words and meanings
• Forbidden words and phrases
• Vague adjectives and adverbs
• Words with legal meaning different from common usage unclear words
• Subjective, or precise words
• Correct punctuation Style
• Words and phrases not to use
• Specific words or phrases
• Compound words, hyphenation and word separation
• List and Tables
• Wording
• Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Table Layout and Notes

Editing and Controlling the Specifications

• Why editing is difficult
• Developing a personal editing strategy
• Editing tools and techniques
• Key requirements for document issue and control
• Managing revisions and changes
• Neglected rules of specification writing
• Specification clarity, accuracy, repetition, brevity and logic
• Readability
• Good grammar, simple sentence structure

Additional Drafting Conventions

• Shortened forms
• Abbreviations
• Acronyms
• Symbols
• Style for measurements
• Measurements symbols
• Mathematical and other signs and symbols
• Ranges
• Numerical information