How to Write a Requirements Document (Without Being Technical)

Clients often apologise for not knowing technical terms. You don't need them. The best requirement documents we receive are written in plain Bangla or English by the person who actually does the work every day.

Start with the people

List everyone who will touch the system: the receptionist, the accountant, the branch manager, the customer. For each one, write what they need to do and what they must never be allowed to do. That single list decides half your permission structure.

Describe the day, not the software

Instead of "we need a reporting module", write: "at 9pm the manager closes the day, counts cash, and sends the total to the owner on WhatsApp". That tells a developer far more, and it exposes the steps you forgot you were doing manually.

Write the exceptions down

• What if a customer returns something after payment?
• What if two people edit the same record at once?
• What if the internet is down at the counter?
• Who can cancel a bill, and does it leave a trace?

Exceptions are where most of the real cost hides. A system that only handles the happy path looks cheap in the quote and expensive six months later.

Keep it to a few pages

A 60-page document nobody reads is worse than four pages everyone agrees on. Screenshots of your current registers and Excel files are worth more than paragraphs. Send those too.