RE: R: Functional and/or Technical specification template

[Buck Calabro <Buck.Calabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I am looking for a template to be used
>in the analysis and design stage.  I would
>like keep my designs consistant in
>appearance for ease of reading and
>understanding.

A noble goal, but I've never been able to get more specific than a checklist
to make sure I've thought of looking for all the right design elements.  By
this convoluted statement, I mean that a generic design document will have a
lot of "Not applicable" spaces, because no single design can incorporate all
the possible scenarios.  Here are some things to consider for every design:

  Single format/multiformat/subfile/multisubfile?
  Display/printer/external device layout specifics?
  Input validation?
  Security/authorisation?
  Database restrictions?
  Error messages to throw?
  Function keys/external program calls?
  User documentation/training?
  Deployment/re-deployment?
  Backup/recovery?
  Archiving/recovery?

I highly recommend Steve McConnell's Code Complete for some ideas on what
the coders need in order to do a good job.  And yes, I bet that the coder
and designer are the same person at your place, just like they are here!

  --buck