System requirements specification for real-time systems

General principles for effective formulation of system requirements specifications are discussed employing a well-known patient monitoring system example as a vehicle. Particular emphasis is given the decomposition of the general statement of user need into capabilities amenable to analysis and communication, as well as the successive elaboration of these capabilities into component parts meaningful to system designers. Important characteristics of the approach are the treatment of procedural questions, the disposition of information generated by the system, the acceptance of ambiguities, and the absence of the principle of minimum commitment.