Tootenõuded

Tootenõuded is the Estonian term for product requirements. They are the explicit criteria a product must meet, defined early in product development by stakeholders such as customers, users, and engineers. Tootenõuded describe what the product should do (functional requirements), how well it should perform (non-functional requirements like performance, reliability, safety, and usability), and the constraints under which it must operate (cost, timing, regulatory compliance, and compatibility).

Typically, these requirements are documented in a product requirements specification (PRS) or a similar primary document. They are organized into functional and non-functional categories, along with interfaces and constraints. Each requirement should be verifiable by evidence—tests, analyses, demonstrations, or inspections—and linked to corresponding design elements and verification activities through a traceability framework.

The management of tootenõuded involves ongoing collaboration among product owners, engineers, quality assurance, and customers. The requirements document is treated as a living artifact, updated as new information emerges, with changes governed by a formal change-management process to maintain scope control and traceability.

In practice, tootenõuded support decision-making throughout the product lifecycle, from design and development to testing and deployment. They enable risk assessment, facilitate communication among diverse stakeholders, and help ensure that regulatory and safety obligations are met. Standards used in practice often include general quality and systems engineering guidelines, such as ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 29148 (Requirements engineering), which provide frameworks for documenting, validating, and managing product requirements.