Functional requirements Manager? This may help!

Absolutely! Tackling non-functional requirements is crucial for the success of a modern e-commerce platform of many companies. Focusing on these "hows" of the system will significantly impact user experience, stability, and overall business value.

Here are 20 top non-functional requirements, categorized for clarity, that you can start prioritizing:

I. Performance & Scalability:

1. Response Time: Ensure critical user interactions (e.g., product page load, search results, adding to cart, checkout steps) occur within acceptable timeframes (e.g., under 2-3 seconds). Example: Product pages should load in under 2 seconds for 95% of users.

2. Throughput: The system should handle a specific volume of transactions or user requests within a given time period, especially during peak loads. Example: The checkout process must support 500 concurrent transactions per minute during peak holiday sales.

3. Scalability (Horizontal): The application should be able to handle increased load by adding more servers or instances without significant performance degradation. Example: The system should automatically scale the number of application servers during periods of high traffic.

4. Scalability (Vertical): The application should be able to handle increased load by increasing the resources (CPU, memory) of the existing servers. Example: The database server should be able to be upgraded to a larger instance with minimal downtime.

5. Elasticity: The system should be able to automatically scale up or down based on the current demand for resources. Example: Cloud resources should be provisioned and de-provisioned automatically based on traffic patterns.

II. Security:

1. Authentication: Securely verify the identity of users before granting access to their accounts and sensitive data, potentially including multi-factor authentication (MFA). Example: Implement two-factor authentication for all user logins.

2. Authorization: Ensure that users can only access the features and data they are permitted to access based on their roles and permissions. Example: Regular users should not have access to administrative functions.

3. Data Security (Encryption): Protect sensitive data (e.g., personal information, payment details) both in transit (e.g., using HTTPS/TLS) and at rest (e.g., database encryption). Example: All payment information must be encrypted using AES-256 encryption.

4. Vulnerability Management: Regularly identify and address security vulnerabilities through penetration testing, code reviews, and timely patching. Example: Conduct annual third-party penetration testing of the e-commerce platform.

5. Compliance: Adhere to relevant security and privacy regulations (e.g., PCI DSS for payment data, GDPR/CCPA for personal data). Example: The system must comply with all requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

III. Reliability & Availability:

1. Availability: The system should be operational and accessible to users for a high percentage of time (e.g., 99.9% uptime). Example: Aim for a system uptime of 99.95%, allowing for a maximum of approximately 4 hours of unscheduled downtime per year.

2. Fault Tolerance: The system should be able to continue operating correctly even in the presence of hardware or software failures. Example: Critical components should have redundancy to prevent single points of failure.

3. Recoverability: In the event of a failure, the system should be able to restore to a fully operational state with minimal data loss and downtime. Example: Implement automated backup and recovery procedures with a recovery time objective (RTO) of under 1 hour.

4. Stability: The system should remain stable and perform consistently under various load conditions and over extended periods without crashing or exhibiting erratic behavior. Example: The application should be able to run continuously for weeks without memory leaks or performance degradation.

IV. Usability & Accessibility:

1. Ease of Use: The application should be intuitive and easy for customers to navigate, understand, and use to achieve their goals (e.g., finding products, placing orders). Example: New users should be able to complete the checkout process without significant difficulty.

2. Responsiveness: The user interface should adapt to different screen sizes and devices (desktops, tablets, mobile phones) to provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience. Example: The website layout should adjust seamlessly when viewed on different mobile devices.

3. Accessibility: The application should be usable by people with disabilities, adhering to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG). Example: Ensure that all images have descriptive alt text for screen readers.

V. Maintainability & Supportability:

1. Maintainability: The codebase and system architecture should be designed in a way that makes it easy to understand, modify, and fix. Example: The application should be modular and well-documented to facilitate easier updates and bug fixes.

2. Traceability: It should be possible to trace user requests, transactions, and system events for debugging, auditing, and analysis purposes. Example: Implement a logging system that captures key events with timestamps and user identifiers.

3. Monitorability: The system should provide mechanisms to monitor its health, performance, and resource utilization, allowing for proactive identification and resolution of issues. Example: Implement dashboards and alerts to track key performance indicators (KPIs) like CPU usage, memory consumption, and error rates.

Prioritization Considerations:

When prioritizing these non-functional requirements, consider the following:

• Business Impact: Which NFRs have the most significant impact on revenue, customer satisfaction, and business goals? For example, poor performance during peak sales periods can directly impact revenue.

• User Impact: Which NFRs most directly affect the user experience? Issues like slow response times or lack of security can lead to user frustration and abandonment.

• Risk: Which NFRs mitigate the most significant risks, such as security breaches or system outages?

• Cost and Effort: What is the estimated cost and effort to address each NFR? Some improvements might be quicker wins than others.

• Dependencies: Are there any dependencies between different NFRs? Addressing one might be a prerequisite for another.

• Compliance Requirements: Legal and regulatory compliance often takes the highest priority.

By systematically evaluating and prioritizing these non-functional requirements, your new team can strategically focus its efforts to deliver significant and measurable value to your e-commerce platform. Good luck!