Nøkkelkrav

Nøkkelkrav, or key requirements, is a term used in requirements engineering to describe the essential criteria a project, product, or system must satisfy in order to meet its objectives. They are distinguished from optional or secondary requirements by their critical impact on success, safety, legality, or business value.

Nøkkelkrav are typically identified early in the project through stakeholder interviews, workshops, use-case analysis, risk assessment, and impact analysis. They are characterized by being verifiable, traceable, feasible, and unambiguous, and they guide prioritization, design choices, and testing. They are often baselined in a requirements document and managed in a requirements repository to maintain traceability.

Each nøkkelkrav is documented with an identifier, a clear description, rationale, acceptance criteria, and a method for verification. They are linked to design decisions, implementation work, and validation activities, so progress can be measured against the defined criteria and changes can be controlled.

Examples of nøkkelkrav include performance or reliability targets, security and privacy protections, interoperability constraints, and regulatory compliance requirements. In software, a nøkkelkrav might specify response times or encryption; in hardware, it might specify operating conditions or safety margins.

In regulated or safety-critical contexts, nøkkelkrav form the backbone of risk management and quality assurance, and non-conformance triggers corrective actions and revalidation.