Feature vs. Requirement

[jcharters]

Within the requirements module, what is the intended difference between a "requirement" element and a "feature" element?

They seem identical, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

[RoyC]

From the EA User Guide:

A Feature is a small, granular function or characteristic expressed in client-valued terms as a satisfaction of a requirement; for example: 'context-sensitive Help', or 'ability to reverse-engineer VB.Net'.

Features are the primary requirements-gathering artifact of the Feature-Driven Design (FDD) methodology. They define the product feature that satisfies what a  Requirement element has formalized as a contractual, testable, expected deliverable (for example: requirement -'every element must provide context-sensitive Help'; Feature - 'every element provides CS Help'.). One Feature might realize one or more Requirements, and one Requirement might be realized by more than one Feature.

Features also have relationships with Use Cases. A Use Case defines the interaction a user has with the system in order to satisfy one or more Requirements. The Feature identifies the facility that provides the means for that interaction.

Feature elements are non-UML and are not related to UML-defined features, which are either BehavioralFeatures (operations, or methods) or StructuralFeatures (Ports, Parts and attributes).

Feature elements are available from the Requirements page of the Enterprise Architect UML Toolbox.

Note: Feature elements can be created with or without an identifying F in the top right corner of the element. To toggle display of the this letter, select or deselect the Show stereotype icon for requirements checkbox on the Options dialog, Objects page.

[jcharters]

Thanks for the post.  I actually looked in the online help prior to posting but did not find this explination.  Where in the manual is this located?  When I look up feature in the index this information is not referenced.

[RoyC]

It is very recent, in the Help for the 7.1 Build 825 (Beta 1) release of EA. If you have this help, the description is in the UML Dictionary | UML Elements | Inbuilt and Extended Stereotypes | Feature topic (or look for Feature     Element in the index).

Otherwise, the forum extract is pretty much everything from the EAUG.