3 / 9 Requirements & Scoping

The Queue In The Brief

A requirements doc for a refunds feature is out for sign-off with this line in it:

Refunds are processed asynchronously through a message queue so the checkout response stays fast.

An engineer asks for the line to be rewritten before anyone signs. What is the objection?

A

There is no objection to make. Naming the component is what makes a requirement checkable, since anyone can confirm the queue exists.

B

It names a mechanism instead of an outcome, so approving it settles the design before anyone has written down the number the queue was meant to protect. Replace it with the checkout latency budget and leave the queue as one way to meet it.

C

It has no number in it. Add the queue's target drain time and it becomes a requirement the team can verify.

D

It bundles two requirements. Split it into one line about refunds and one about checkout latency, keeping both sentences as written.