Utility Requirements

Definition

A utility requirement is a user-oriented quality requirement that specifies a required amount of utility, which is a quality factor that is defined as follows:

Utility

adj.[quality factor] the degree to which something can be accessed and used by its various types of users.

Objectives

The typical objectives of utility requirements are to ensure that the application or component is:

• Accessible to end users with disabilities.
• Userful to installers who must install it in its production environments.
• Userful to operators who must operate it in its production environments.
• Transportable in its production environments.
• Usable by its end users.

Types

The following are different types of utility requirements:

1. Accessibility Requirements
2. Installability Requirements
3. Operability Requirements
4. Transportability Requirements
5. Usability Requirements

Guidelines

The following guidelines have been found to be useful when producing utility requirements:

• The scope of a utility requirement can be:
  • A business enterprise
  • An application
  • A component
  • A center
• For guidelines that are specific to individual types of utility requirements, see the guidelines sections of following webpages:
  1. Accessibility Requirements
  2. Installability Requirements
  3. Operability Requirements
  4. Transportability Requirements
  5. Usability Requirements