Documenting reports in the Requirements Spec

[jonespm]

Hi,

Where, in a Requirements Specification, is the 'normal' place to document reports: as a Use Case, as a Supplimentary Specification or maybe elsewhere?

Once we have a spot how would reports normally be specified, prototype documents, a list of data names and some generic style guidelines or ?.

Cheers, Peter

[sargasso]

Well,

They are functional requirements so according to UP they are NOT supplementary requirements.

If they are ad-hoc reports, then they "must" be part of some business process which may give you a clue as to which use case they support.

If they are periodic, then usually one can find a business process to hang them onto and therfore the applicable use case.

But, finally there is always that set of reports that no-one seems to know the reason for their existence - but are also categorised mandatory, high priority, fixed requirements.  Stick them in the "Waste development time and money" use case .

IOW - if you are using use cases correctly there will always be a use case for which the report is a required system artifact.

How to specify them..... hmm - depends on what you're trying to document and who for.

I suppose in UML terms they are boundary classes (i.e. a UI).
In EA I tend to use stereotyped "screen" element.

hth
bruce