Software Requirements Starter
APPNEURAL · Published 9 September 2026
Use this worksheet with the business owner and the people operating the workflow. Record assumptions and unresolved decisions. Do not include passwords, API keys or confidential customer records. This is a scoping aid, not a quotation.
1. Problem and boundaries
Name the business problem, current workaround and business owner. Describe the intended outcome without promising a revenue or time saving. List included workflows and explicit exclusions. Record dependencies on vendors and decisions that could block delivery.
2. Users and permissions
List each user role and expected number of users. For each role, state which records they may view, create, change, approve, export and delete. Identify separation of duties and administrator responsibilities. Specify how access is granted, reviewed and revoked.
3. Workflow and exceptions
Write the trigger, steps, responsible person and expected result for each workflow. Include rejection, cancellation, duplicate requests, missing information and unavailable systems. Mark actions that require human approval and the owner of unresolved exceptions.
4. Data and integrations
Describe records, required fields, validation rules and the system of record. Name each integration, required direction and frequency, documentation and access prerequisites. Record duplicate handling, retries and reconciliation. An integration remains conditional until vendor permission and the actual interface are checked.
5. Quality and operating needs
Agree expected load and how it will be tested, accessibility needs, supported devices, availability expectations and recovery objectives. Specify audit records, retention and who can access operational data. Separate business requirements from unverified technical assumptions.
6. Migration and release
List source files, owners, cleanup and mapping work. Plan a backup, rehearsal and acceptance sample. Agree count and value reconciliation, cutover responsibility, rollback trigger and treatment of new writes after cutover. Record what cannot safely be reversed.
7. Acceptance examples
For each requirement, write: given this starting state, when this action happens, then this observable result must follow. Include unauthorized access, duplicate submission, failed dependency and recovery examples. Name the acceptance owner and evidence required for sign-off.
8. Support and estimate assumptions
Separate discovery, design, implementation, integration, migration, testing, deployment and support effort. Record infrastructure, third-party usage, licensing and applicable taxes separately. If calculating a scenario, label every assumed input; effort multiplied by an agreed rate is not a market benchmark. Identify ownership of source code, accounts and documentation, support coverage, exclusions and change control.
Ready for a scope discussion?
Bring a workflow description, role list, sample field definitions and outstanding decisions. Agree the next scoped step before implementation. Keep sensitive samples in an approved channel.
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