produktspecificatieblad

In English, the term product specification refers to a document that defines the intended characteristics and constraints of a product to guide development, production, and quality assurance. The equivalent term in several languages, such as produktspecifikation, is used to describe the same concept.

It typically includes scope and objectives, user needs or market requirements, functional requirements (what the product must do), non-functional requirements (quality, performance, reliability, safety, usability), interface requirements (interactions with other systems), technical constraints (materials, dimensions, power, connectivity), regulatory and safety compliance, acceptance criteria, testing and validation plans, quality attributes, versioning and provenance, and traceability to the original requirements.

The specification serves across the product lifecycle: it informs design decisions, guides procurement, supports testing, and provides a basis for contract and supplier management. It is usually maintained collaboratively by product managers, engineers, and quality teams, with formal reviews and approvals. In practice, there are different levels: a high-level product spec focusing on user needs, and a technical spec detailing implementation.

Good practice includes making the document verifiable with testable requirements, including measurable performance metrics, and maintaining traceability from requirements to design to test cases. It should be updated when needs change and kept under version control.