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This is a contractual document describing what is expected from the project manager by the contracting authority. It is generally developed by the client and contains the following main sections: context, objectives, vocabulary or terminology, scope, schedule, etc.

The contracting authority is the party responsible for the expression of needs; they are the entity that places the order. The project manager is responsible for making these needs a reality.

The specifications must set out needs in a functional manner, independent of any technical solution with the exception of specifying the technical environment into which the solution requested must be inserted.

According to norm NF X 50-150 developed by the AFNOR, a functional specification document (FSD) is the document by means of which the requesting party expresses its needs in terms of service features and limitations. For each function and limitation, assessment criteria and their levels are defined.

NOTE.– The FSD is concerned with the service features of a product and their corresponding limitations, and does not contain any technical ideas or impose any solutions. Its objective is to propose the product best suited to provide the service(s) requested under the conditions specified and at minimal cost.

Knowing how to read and correctly interpret a set of specifications is very important for the success of the associated project. The project team must analyze needs, including understanding the expectations of the final users (the WHAT), and know how to put them into practice (the HOW). The team must gain a perfect understanding of the associated issue by asking itself the following questions:

– Who is requesting this solution?

– Who will use the proposed solution? With what benefits?

– What will be the solution's environment?

– What are the limitations and problems that may be encountered?

The ultimate goal always remains the satisfaction of the end-users' and clients' needs. These needs can be explicit or clearly stated, implicit or unstated but necessary. In this context, we can speak about functional specifications, pertaining to the functionalities expected of the project, and non-functional specifications, which represent the secondary characteristics to be offered.

Interpreting a set of specifications consists of:

– describing the project, including the context of work, motivations and objectives that will be evaluated at the end of the project, the challenges or difficulties to be overcome, and the criteria for success, or how to evaluate the project in relation to objectives;

– subsequently defining the phases of implementation of the project and the links between these phases using a Gantt diagram, for example. In addition, milestone targets and deliverables corresponding to each phase must be set, and a clear idea of the procedures has to be followed for the management and follow-up of the project.