Once the users have been surveyed for what they would like to have in the application, the next step is to categorize these requirements. Broadly, the requirements can be categorized into two parts:

• Functional requirements: These are the requirements that define the features and functionality of the application. For example, BugZot has the following functional requirements:

  • Providing functionality for filing bugs by internal and external users
  • Providing support for roles and permissions
  • Providing functionality for dealing with file uploads
  • Integrating with the email system to send emails when a bug changes its status, and much more

• Nonfunctional requirements: These are those sets of requirements that do not affect the functionality of the software, but rather are implicit or explicit characteristics based on the functional requirements. For example, in BugZot, the following may be defined as some of the nonfunctional requirements:

• The application should provide security against common web attack vectors, such as XSS and CSRF
• The operational costs for the application should not exceed N% of the total budget
• The application should be able to generate backups in case a recovery is needed after a crash