Before prototyping starts, it's crucial to validate the technical requirements gathered and to compile all validated requirements into a detailed technical requirements document (TRD), which is shared with the development team, and in some cases, with end users, customers, and business leaders to finalize the requirements and initiate development.
Technical requirements vary by project. Here are some examples.
An e-commerce website connects buyers and sellers of products or services so they can engage in sales transactions. Since money changes hands through the website, it must be able to handle payment processing quickly and securely. So, two core technical requirements will be:
The site should also have a responsive design so it can adapt to different devices and screen sizes. Search engines should be able to find it. It should display the correct content to users when they search for a product, making search engine optimization (SEO) an important technical requirement.
Next, the site should be easy to manage. The site owner should be able to update its content easily, They should be able to back up and restore all content and data, including product listings, descriptions, images, and videos. This introduces the technical requirement for a content management system (CMS).
E-commerce sites also have all the technical requirements common for other sites:
Businesses use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to manage customer information and analyze their various interactions with customers throughout the customer lifecycle. Besides consolidating and tracking customer data, a CRM provides useful insights about customer preferences and behaviors that help companies identify new sales opportunities, enhance customer experiences, and make better decisions to strengthen brand value and recall.
Since data is foundational to a CRM, data security is a critical technical requirement. Sensitive customer data must be encrypted (in-transit and at-rest) and access controls should be in place to restrict data access only to authorized users.
Performance and reliability are also key in a CRM platform. It should function as expected consistently and not be prone to downtime. It should be able to handle increasing data volumes without deterioration in its speed or responsiveness. To reflect this goal, developers should document scalability as a technical requirement.
Additionally, the product should be easy to use and access -- ideally from any location and using any device. This means an intuitive interface and mobile accessibility become essential technical requirements.
The best CRMs easily integrate with other business tools and support custom integrations and extensions through Application Program Interfaces (APIs). The technical requirement that reflects these capabilities is integration.
Finally, CRM tools are built for customer data management, analysis, and business decision-making. Technical requirements here encompass reporting, analytics, contact management, and marketing automation.