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Update and Modify Requirements

Scenario: Requirements change, and you need to update your SRS document Time required: 5-10 minutes per change

The Problem

Requirements are never set in stone. You need to:

  • Add new features
  • Modify existing requirements
  • Remove deprecated features
  • Clarify vague requirements
  • Update priorities

But: Manual updates are error-prone and time-consuming.

Solution: Tell SRS Writer What Changed

SRS Writer understands change requests in natural language and uses SID-based semantic editing to safely update both SRS.md and requirements.yaml (keeping IDs and traceability aligned).

Making Changes

Type 1: Add New Features

Press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+I (macOS) srs in CLI

Simple addition:

@srs-writer Add a feature: Users can export task lists as Excel files

Detailed addition:

@srs-writer Add a new feature for bulk operations:

Users should be able to:
- Select multiple tasks (checkbox)
- Bulk actions: Delete, Mark complete, Assign to user, Change priority
- Maximum 100 tasks per operation
- Confirmation dialog before destructive actions
- Progress indicator for long operations

What SRS Writer does:

  1. Creates new functional requirement (e.g., FR-015)
  2. Adds to appropriate section in SRS.md
  3. Updates requirements.yaml with structured data
  4. Links to related requirements
  5. Runs quality check

Type 2: Modify Existing Requirements

Small change:

@srs-writer Change the login requirement from email-only to support
both email and username

Specific change:

@srs-writer Update requirement FR-003 (User Profile):
Add these fields: timezone, language preference, notification settings

Complete rewrite:

@srs-writer Replace the entire "Search" feature (FR-008) with this:

Search should support:
- Full-text search across task title and description
- Filters: assignee, status, priority, tags, date range
- Fuzzy matching for typos
- Search as you type (instant results)
- Save searches as custom views
- Search history (last 10 searches)

Performance: < 100ms for 95% of searches

What gets updated:

  • Requirement description in SRS.md
  • Related sections (if dependencies exist)
  • requirements.yaml fields
  • Version history tracked

Type 3: Delete Features

Simple removal:

@srs-writer Remove the "Social Sharing" feature - we're not doing it in v1

Remove with explanation:

@srs-writer Delete all requirements related to third-party integrations.
We decided to focus on core features first. Move these to a
"Future Enhancements" section instead of deleting completely.

What SRS Writer does:

  1. Removes from main requirements
  2. Optionally moves to "Future" section
  3. Updates traceability (removes orphaned links)
  4. Updates requirements count in overview

Type 4: Clarify Vague Requirements

Make specific:

@srs-writer Requirement FR-005 says "System should be fast".
This is too vague. Replace with specific metrics:
- Page load time: < 2 seconds
- API response time: < 200ms (95th percentile)
- Search results: < 100ms
- File upload: Support up to 10MB, complete within 5 seconds

Add details:

@srs-writer The "User Profile" requirement needs more detail.
Specify these profile fields:
- First name, Last name (required)
- Email (required, unique)
- Avatar (optional, max 2MB, JPG/PNG)
- Bio (optional, max 500 chars)
- Department (dropdown: Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Support)
- Role (auto-assigned by admin)

Type 5: Change Priorities

Single requirement:

@srs-writer Change FR-012 (Email Notifications) from Low to High priority.
We need this for v1 after all.

Batch update:

@srs-writer Update priorities for v1 scope:

High priority (must-have for v1):
- FR-001: User Authentication
- FR-003: Task Creation
- FR-007: Task Assignment
- FR-012: Email Notifications

Medium priority (nice-to-have for v1):
- FR-005: File Attachments
- FR-010: Comments

Low priority (defer to v2):
- FR-009: Social Sharing
- FR-014: Advanced Analytics

Advanced Update Patterns

Pattern 1: Conditional Logic

Add conditions to existing requirements:

@srs-writer Update the "File Upload" requirement (FR-008):

Add conditional logic:
- Free tier users: Max 5MB per file, 100MB total storage
- Pro tier users: Max 50MB per file, 10GB total storage
- Enterprise users: Max 500MB per file, unlimited storage

Also add: Automatic virus scanning for all uploaded files

Pattern 2: Split Requirements

Break down complex requirements:

@srs-writer Requirement FR-006 "User Management" is too broad.
Split it into separate requirements:

FR-006-A: User Registration
- Email verification
- Password strength requirements

FR-006-B: User Profile Management
- Update profile fields
- Change password
- Upload avatar

FR-006-C: User Roles and Permissions
- Role assignment (admin, user, guest)
- Permission matrix
- Role-based access control

Pattern 3: Merge Requirements

Combine related requirements:

@srs-writer Merge FR-009 (Email Notifications) and FR-011 (Push Notifications)
into a single "Notification System" requirement.

The merged requirement should support:
- Email notifications (mandatory)
- Push notifications (optional)
- SMS notifications (optional, premium feature)
- User preferences: per-notification-type control
- Frequency: immediate, daily digest, weekly summary

Pattern 4: Update Based on Feedback

After stakeholder review:

@srs-writer Stakeholder feedback from review:

1. FR-003 (Task Creation): Add support for recurring tasks
   - Daily, weekly, monthly, custom patterns
   - End condition: after N occurrences or by date

2. FR-007 (Task Assignment): Allow multiple assignees
   - Not just one owner
   - Track individual completion status

3. FR-010 (Reports): Add export to PDF, not just Excel

4. Remove FR-015 (Gamification) - stakeholders don't want this

Handling Large-Scale Changes

Scenario: Major Feature Pivot

Problem: Business decides to change direction significantly

Solution: Systematic update

@srs-writer We're pivoting from B2C to B2B. This affects requirements:

Changes needed:
1. Remove: Individual user registration (was FR-002)
   Replace with: Company-based registration with admin provisioning

2. Remove: Public marketplace features (FR-020 to FR-025)
   Replace with: Private company workspace

3. Add: Multi-tenancy support
   - Data isolation per company
   - Company-level settings and branding
   - Admin dashboard for company admins

4. Update: Pricing requirement (FR-030)
   From: Per-user subscription
   To: Per-company subscription with user tiers

Please update all affected requirements and regenerate the overview sections.

Scenario: Compliance Requirements Added

Problem: Legal/compliance requirements emerge

Solution: Add a new section

@srs-writer Add a new section "5. Compliance Requirements" with:

GDPR Compliance:
- User data export (machine-readable format)
- User data deletion (right to be forgotten)
- Consent management
- Data processing agreements

HIPAA Compliance (for healthcare clients):
- Data encryption at rest (AES-256)
- Data encryption in transit (TLS 1.3)
- Audit logging (all access to PHI)
- Business Associate Agreement support
- Access controls (role-based, time-limited)

SOC 2 Type II:
- Security controls documentation
- Regular penetration testing
- Incident response plan
- Change management process

Tracking Changes

View Change History

SRS Writer maintains version history in requirements.yaml:

YAML
functionalRequirements:
  - id: FR-003
    title: "Task Creation"
    version: 2.1
    lastModified: "2025-11-06"
    changeLog:
      - version: 2.1
        date: "2025-11-06"
        author: "Product Team"
        change: "Added support for recurring tasks"
      - version: 2.0
        date: "2025-11-05"
        change: "Added multiple assignees support"
      - version: 1.0
        date: "2025-11-01"
        change: "Initial requirement"

View changes:

@srs-writer Show me what changed in FR-003 since version 1.0

Commit Changes to Git

After updating requirements:

Bash
git add TaskManagement/
git commit -m "Update: Added recurring tasks (FR-003) and multi-assignee support (FR-007)"
git push

Best practice: Commit after each logical set of changes, not after every single edit.

Direct Editing of SRS.md

You can also edit SRS.md directly in VSCode.

When to Edit Directly

  • ✅ Quick typo fixes
  • ✅ Formatting improvements
  • ✅ Adding clarifications
  • ✅ Inserting diagrams or examples

When to Use Chat

  • ✅ Adding new requirements
  • ✅ Restructuring sections
  • ✅ Major changes affecting multiple requirements
  • ✅ Need automatic sync to requirements.yaml

After Direct Editing

Tell SRS Writer to sync:

@srs-writer I edited SRS.md manually. Please sync to requirements.yaml
and check for any consistency issues.

SRS Writer will:

  1. Parse your changes
  2. Update requirements.yaml
  3. Validate structure
  4. Fix any broken links

Common Update Scenarios

Scenario 1: Agile Sprint Planning

Use case: Planning what's in the next sprint

@srs-writer Update sprint scope:

Sprint 5 (Nov 6-20):
- FR-015: Export to Excel (move to In Progress)
- FR-016: Import from CSV (move to In Progress)
- FR-012: Email Notifications (move from Backlog to Sprint)

Not in Sprint 5:
- FR-018: Advanced Analytics (keep in Backlog)

Scenario 2: Bug Fixes Requiring Requirement Updates

Use case: Bug reveals missing requirement

@srs-writer We found a bug: Users can submit forms with invalid data.
This reveals a missing requirement.

Add FR-024: Input Validation
- All form fields must be validated client-side and server-side
- Email fields: RFC 5322 format
- Phone numbers: E.164 format
- Dates: ISO 8601 format
- Custom business rules: ZIP code matches country, credit card Luhn check
- Error messages: Specific and actionable

Scenario 3: Performance Optimization

Use case: App is slow, need to tighten requirements

@srs-writer Update performance requirements (NFR-001):

Make these more aggressive:
- Page load: < 2 seconds → < 1 second
- API response: < 500ms → < 200ms
- Database queries: < 200ms → < 100ms

Add new performance requirements:
- Lazy loading: Images load only when in viewport
- Caching: API responses cached for 5 minutes
- Pagination: Max 50 items per page
- Infinite scroll: Pre-fetch next page when 80% scrolled

Scenario 4: Security Hardening

Use case: Security audit revealed gaps

@srs-writer Add security requirements from audit findings:

Authentication:
- FR-002A: Add two-factor authentication (TOTP)
- FR-002B: Add session timeout after 30 min inactivity
- FR-002C: Add password expiration (90 days)

Authorization:
- FR-003A: Implement least-privilege access
- FR-003B: Add audit logging for all sensitive operations

Data Protection:
- NFR-007A: Encrypt sensitive fields at column level
- NFR-007B: Implement key rotation every 90 days
- NFR-007C: Add data masking in logs

Quality Check After Updates

After making changes, always verify quality:

@srs-writer Run quality check focusing on updated requirements

Check for:

  • Consistency: Do changes conflict with other requirements?
  • Traceability: Are links still valid?
  • Completeness: Are all aspects covered?

Fix issues:

@srs-writer Quality check shows FR-015 now conflicts with NFR-003.
FR-015 requires storing 10MB files, but NFR-003 limits uploads to 5MB.
Please resolve this conflict - increase NFR-003 limit to 10MB.

Best Practices

✅ DO

  1. Explain why changes are needed

    @srs-writer Remove social login - stakeholders concerned about privacy

  2. Update in logical batches

    • Group related changes
    • Commit to Git after each batch

  3. Review after major changes

    • Read updated SRS.md
    • Check quality report
    • Validate with team

  4. Document decisions

    • Add comments in requirements.yaml
    • Update project overview if scope changes

❌ DON'T

  1. Don't make too many changes at once

    • Break into smaller updates
    • Easier to review and rollback

  2. Don't forget dependencies

    @srs-writer When updating FR-008, check if any other requirements
depend on it and update those too.

  3. Don't remove requirements silently

    • Document why they were removed
    • Consider moving to "Future" instead of deleting

  4. Don't skip quality checks

    • Always validate after major updates

Next Steps

You've mastered updating requirements!

Explore related scenarios: 👉 Multi-Project Management 👉 Quality Improvement

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