DETAILED DESIGN DOCUMENT CONTENTS

(Design Guidelines)

A. Introduction
B. Architecture Overview
 Description
 Module Decomposition Chart
 Module 1 – Brief Functional Description
 ...
 Module n – Brief Functional Description

C. Module Design Specifications (organize by layer/subsystem)

 Overall Detailed Design principles, assumptions and trade-off parameters
 FOR EACH MODULE IN DECOMPOSITION DIAGRAM:
o Module <name>
o Module Prologue (this is what should appear as commentary in code)
 Detailed description
 Function(s) performed/services provided
 Input(s), output(s)
o Interfaces: producer (source of inputs)-consumer (sink for outputs)
relationships with other modules
o Details of physical data structure/data file descriptions
 External data dependencies (any “global” dependencies, database
queries/updates)
 Internal data descriptors
o Operating System Dependencies/Interfaces for this Module
 Specify each underlying feature or function that will used
 Include discussion of potential storage/memory requirements
o Module processing (pseudo-code algorithm, PDL)

o Module Test Overview

 Key Test Assumptions/Requirements/Dependencies for:
o Module/unit test
o Component/function test integration considerations
 Brief Test Case Description for Module/Function Testing (to be
expanded in System Test Plan)
E. Requirements Traceability Matrix (at module level)
o Include assessment/analysis
F. Hardware Interface Specifications
o Detailed description of each hardware Interface
G. Packaging/Installation/Configuration Design
H. Appendices (as applicable)
 Formulas and Algorithms Not Documented in the Software Requirements Document
 Hardware specification sheets, drawings, etc. (as applicable)