What is the difference between requirement and specification?

Question

Accepted Answer

**Requirement** — business need. **Specification** — detailed description.

**Requirement:**
- Business need or want.
- High-level description.
- What the system must do.
- Can be vague or general.

```
Requirement:
"The system should allow users to search for products"
```

**Specification:**
- Detailed technical description.
- How to implement requirement.
- Specific and measurable.
- For developers.

```
Specification:
"Search shall accept input, query database with LIKE,
return results within 200ms, display 50 per page"
```

**Key differences:**
- **Requirement** — what, business level.
- **Specification** — how, technical level.

Business Analyst: What is the difference between requirement and specification?