Spec generator

Guide: the route from requirements spec to quote

Overview: the route in five stepsFrom the client’s requirements spec to a binding quote, step by step. Requirements spec or functional spec?The basics: who writes what and what comes first. Step 1: Check the requirements specWhat goes in it and whether it is enough for a fixed price. Step 2: Requirements analysisBreak the spec into epics and work packages you estimate one by one. Steps 3 and 5: Indicative quoteName a price before the functional spec is done. Step 5: when it becomes binding. Step 4: Functional specClarify and write it after the award, including the sections that are often missing.
ExampleBroker portal: from requirements spec to quoteThe fictional case from the book. Steps 1 to 4 on one line: “multilingual”.See the example →
GuideOverview: the route in five stepsRequirements spec or functional spec?1Check the requirements spec2Requirements analysis3Indicative quote4Functional specExample: broker portal
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Functional spec generator
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Requirements spec and functional spec templates for Word, free

Six templates as Word files (.docx), free and with no sign-up: a requirements specification (German: Lastenheft), a functional specification (German: Pflichtenheft), a checklist for reviewing the requirements spec, ten questions for the first call, a test case and an indicative quote. Grey notes in every section say what belongs there. The functional spec template also uses sample sentences to show how precise it should be.

Step by step

Which template helps when.

The client writes the requirements spec, the service provider writes the functional spec. Both sides need the checklist and the test case. If you are learning about the topic and just want to see the structure, the functional spec template with its sample sentences is the best place to start.

You are the client

  1. You describe what you need.Requirements spec
  2. You check it before sending it to providers.Checklist
  3. You accept the finished result.Test case

You are the service provider

  1. You have the first call with the client.Ten questions
  2. The requirements spec arrives and you check how solid it is.Checklist
  3. The client wants a price before everything is clear.Indicative quote
  4. Once you have won the contract, you clarify the gaps and write down what you will deliver.Functional spec
  5. You define what acceptance is measured against.Test case

To take away

Six templates, no sign-up.

Each template opens in Word and in other common programs that read .docx. There is space for your logo at the top; a small line at the bottom says where the template comes from.

The templates follow chapters 5 to 10, chapter 20 and appendix A of the book “Projects that pay off.” The Auenhof case is fictional. About the book →

A project lead stands at a standing desk with a thick stack of paper; Leadtime is open on the monitor and laptop.
The templates are Word files. You don’t need Leadtime to use them.

Frequently asked questions

What people often ask.

Is there a requirements spec template for Excel?

No, the templates are only available as Word files. But you can select the table of functional requirements in the requirements spec template, copy it and paste it into Excel. Columns and rows are kept, so you can sort and filter there. A table is a good place to start anyway, and the specialist literature recommends it: every requirement gets its own row with fixed columns, such as number, requirement, acceptance criterion, quantity and priority. That forces more structure than running text.

Do I need two separate documents for a small project?

Not necessarily. Christof Ebert recommends that smaller companies in particular let the requirements spec, the functional spec and the test cases grow as one document, with separate chapters and an owner for each. Misunderstandings come to light early, and less gets built that nobody needs. With our templates, that means placing the sections of the functional spec template and the test cases after the requirements spec template, and noting which side writes which chapter.

What should I add to the templates?

A glossary. Specialist literature recommends recording in one place, from the start, what technical terms, abbreviations and everyday words with a special meaning stand for in the project, agreed with the client and kept up to date until the end. In the broker portal example, “company” would be such a word: if the glossary says it means every firm in the group, including the subsidiaries in Austria and Switzerland, nobody reads anything else into it.

May I change the templates and pass them on?

Yes, that is what they are for. You may use, adapt and pass on the templates free of charge, including for client projects. Add your logo and adapt the sections to your projects. We are pleased if the small note in the footer stays. The templates are working aids without any warranty and are not legal advice. Agree anything that is meant to be contractually binding with your lawyer.

Is there a DIN template for requirements specs and functional specs?

There is no mandatory DIN template. The German standard DIN 69901-5:2009 (project management, project management systems, part 5: terms) defines Lastenheft and Pflichtenheft, but it does not prescribe an outline to fill in. For automation projects, the guideline VDI/VDE 3694 covers both documents in more detail. Our templates follow the structure from the book “Projects that pay off.” They are not a standard template.

Do the templates cost anything?

No. You download them without signing up and without giving an email address.

What is the difference between the two spec templates?

The requirements spec template is for the client: it asks for goals, requirements and constraints, in other words the what. The functional spec template is for the service provider: it breaks the work down into epics and work packages and has sections for exclusions, assumptions, client responsibilities and acceptance, in other words the how. More on the difference

Are the templates available as PDF?

For filling in, they are only available as Word files. If you want to send a completed template, save it as a PDF from Word.

Read on

Where to go next.

The requirements specWhat belongs in it and how to spot a good one. The functional specThe ten sections and how to write it in three steps. Requirements spec or functional spec?Who writes what, and what comes first.

Next step

Got a requirements spec from a client? Turn it into a functional spec.

Upload the requirements spec and answer ten questions at most, only the ones that change the effort. You get a structured draft functional spec with your logo, as Word and PDF. Anything still unclear is marked as open. You estimate the hours yourself.

Create a functional specTalk to Lukas Ebner instead