Developing a requirements specification for a Web service application

It has been stated that deficiencies in software requirements are the leading cause of failure in software projects (Hofmann and Lehner, 2001). This statement implies that the having (and using) high quality requirements should be a factor in contributing to the success of software projects. This report presents a case study that supports this implication. The study was made from observation and documentation of the requirements development process used in a Web service order-entry project. The project focus was the development of a business critical application that would accept our clients' (a music "record label" company) orders over the Internet using Web services. Secondly this report supports the contention that using Web services to provide business-to-business online solutions simplifies application development and reduces risk and process development costs.