Diagrams and Documentation

Owned by Computer Science Department
Last updated: Jul 20, 2023
2 min read

In software development, various documents are essential for effective communication, documentation, and project management. Here are some of the commonly used documents in the software development process:

  1. Software Requirements Specification (SRS) or Business Requirements Document (BRD):

    • Captures the functional and non-functional requirements of the software system.

    • Describes the goals, scope, user expectations, constraints, and specifications of the software project.

  2. Functional Specification Document (FSD) or System Requirements Specification (SRS):

    • Provides detailed information about the functionality, behavior, and interactions of the software system.

    • Describes the features, use cases, user interfaces, data flows, and business rules.

  3. Technical Design Document (TDD) or Software Design Document (SDD):

    • Specifies the technical details and architectural design of the software system.

    • Describes the software components, modules, interfaces, data structures, algorithms, and database schema.

  4. Test Plan and Test Cases:

    • Outlines the strategy, scope, and approach for testing the software.

    • Defines the test objectives, test environments, test cases, and expected outcomes.

  5. User Manuals and Documentation:

    • Provides instructions, guidelines, and reference material for users to understand and operate the software.

    • Includes user manuals, installation guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting documents.

  6. Project Plan and Schedule:

    • Outlines the project scope, deliverables, milestones, timelines, and resource allocation.

    • Includes tasks, dependencies, project organization, and risk management plans.

  7. Change Requests and Change Logs:

    • Documents any changes or modifications requested during the software development process.

    • Tracks the history of changes made to the software system, including reasons and impacts.

  8. Release Notes:

    • Provides information about the features, enhancements, bug fixes, and known issues in a software release.

    • Communicates the changes to users, stakeholders, and support teams.

  9. User Stories or Use Cases:

    • Describes the user requirements and system behavior from a user's perspective.

    • Represents specific scenarios or interactions between users and the software system.

  10. Meeting Minutes:

    • Records the discussions, decisions, action items, and key points discussed during project meetings.

    • Helps ensure that all stakeholders are informed and aligned.

These documents help facilitate effective communication, understanding, and collaboration among project stakeholders, developers, testers, and users. The specific set of documents required may vary depending on the project scope, methodology, and organizational preferences. It's important to maintain proper documentation throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure clarity, traceability, and successful project outcomes.