Socio-Political Considerations
Culture
Requirements that are specific to the culture in which the new product will be used should be defined here. These factors may influence the acceptability of the new product, especially if developing a system for a foreign country.
It is important to think about cultural requirements as they could be out of the cultural experience of the developers.
For example, In some cultures, slang and casual terminology will not be acceptable.
Some questions pertinent to potential cultural requirements should be considered. Examples of these include:
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Will the users have different habits, holidays, superstitions, cultural norms that do not apply to the developers culture?Is the product intended for a culture other than the one with which developers are familar?
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What countries are users of the product likely to live in?
Political
Political factors may influence the acceptability of the new product. If developing a product for a foreign country, then these factors may be more relevant. However, 'internal' political factors relevant to the company that is developing the product may also influence requirements. Some political requirements may appear irrational.
For example, all hardware must be purchased from Dell; All development must take place on Windows machines; For political reasons internet trade might not be permitted between certain countries.
A system must comply with political requirements even if there is a more efficient and economical solution.
Legal
State the legal requirements for the system and so avoid later delays, law suits and legal fees. Consider consulting lawyers to help identify legal requirements, copyrights, pending legislation and implications of Intellectual Property Rights such as problems that might arise if it transpires that developers have previously worked for competitors.
For example, deal with personal information so as to comply with the Data Protection Act.
Official Standards
Requirements stated here will specify applicable standards and will reference detailed standards descriptions. It is a good idea to comply with standards to avoid later delays. Consider issues such as: is there an industry code of practice or watchdog; are there any special development steps for this type of product.
For example, the product shall be developed according to SSADM standard development steps.
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